Suspect denies guilt in fentanyl homicide case

A man accused of supplying the fentanyl that killed a friend pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday in Marin County Superior Court.

Callen Scheffler, 34, of Santa Rosa could face up to four years in prison if convicted of the charge. He also pleaded not guilty to furnishing a controlled substance and inflicting great bodily injury.

Friends and relatives of the alleged victim, Samantha Azzolino of Cloverdale, attended the hearing, some wearing shirts that displayed her photograph and the message “Justice for Samantha.”

“He shouldn't have done the crime if he didn't want to see the repercussions of it,” said Azzolino's sister, Brittany Merz.

A prosecution affidavit by Deputy District Attorney Sean Kensinger details the alleged events leading to the death on Aug. 26.

Scheffler drove Azzolino and another friend to Novato Community Hospital, telling emergency room staff that one passenger suffered a seizure and the other could not wake up, Kensinger wrote. Scheffler allegedly left after Azzolino, 30, was pronounced dead. The other passenger was placed in a medically induced coma.

Novato police contacted Scheffler that night at a nearby parking lot. He put his hands in the air when a sergeant approached him, according to investigators.

Scheffler admitted to an officer that he bought cocaine for his friends in San Francisco, the affidavit said. He also purchased a gram of cocaine and 2 grams of fentanyl for himself, Kensinger wrote.

Scheffler drove his passengers to the Novato hospital after they ingested the cocaine and appeared to be overdosing, Kensinger wrote.

Novato police searched Scheffler and found drug paraphernalia and a bag of a powdery substance that was recognized as fentanyl. Scheffler admitted that he used fentanyl earlier that day, according to the affidavit.

Police initially arrested Scheffler on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Kensinger said that the surviving victim told investigators she did not use fentanyl before and she had no memory of visiting San Francisco with Scheffler.

A pathologist concluded that Azzolino was fatally intoxicated by a combination of cocaine and fentanyl, Kensinger wrote.

The Marin County Sheriff's Office announced in February that they arrested Scheffler on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter and other crimes.

After Scheffler's court hearing Wednesday, his defense attorney, Jon Rankin, called the incident a tragedy, but said not every tragedy calls for a “full measure of vengeance.”

Kensinger declined to comment on the hearing.