The dealer responsible for causing the death of a young Southern California woman is ordered to pay her family $5.8 million.
Matt Capelouto’s daughter Alexandra was poisoned by a counterfeit pharmaceutical pill laced with fentanyl in December 2019, a tragedy that spurred his family to become advocates for ending the fentanyl crisis.
Capelouto founded a nonprofit—Stop Drug Homicides—with a goal of preventing other families from experiencing the pain they have endured.
The Temecula, Calif., family is also asking voters to approve Proposition 36, a ballot measure up for consideration in November, which would increase penalties for repeat offenders of some drug and theft crimes and also includes the text of Alexandra’s Law—which would advise those convicted of dealing fentanyl that they could be charged with murder if they distribute the synthetic opioid and someone dies as a result.
“We are committed to pushing for laws like Alexandra’s Law, which will help deter drug dealers by warning them of the consequences of selling deadly substances,” Capelouto told The Epoch Times Sept. 24.
“Moving forward, we plan to continue advocating for stronger legislation, raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, and working with other families and lawmakers to address this crisis. We believe that only through accountability, education, and better laws can we start to curb the fentanyl epidemic and save lives.”
Opponents of Prop. 36, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have argued that the measure would lead to high rates of incarceration and cost the state millions of dollars.
Lawmakers repeatedly attempted to pass Alexandra’s Law in the Legislature, with Democratic and Republican representatives introducing proposals since 2020, but the bills were ultimately rejected by the Senate and Assembly public safety committees.
Federally, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) introduced Alexandra’s Law in HR 6671 in December 2023, and the legislation is awaiting hearing from Congress’s Subcommittee on Health.
Alexandra Capelouto was a 20-year-old student attending Arizona State University and majoring in sociology when she unknowingly consumed half of a fake Percocet pill that contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.
She purchased the pill—which was delivered to her home in a package of 11—on Snapchat, from an account that was later determined to be controlled by Brandon Michael McDowell, now 25, of Riverside County.
By Travis Gillmore
