Marin accused of fentanyl murder pleads guilty

A man accused of supplying the fentanyl that caused his companion’s death has pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge in Marin County Superior Court.

Callen Scheffler, 34, of Santa Rosa also pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of selling or transporting controlled substances and violating probation. Court records show he was placed on probation last year in connection with a drug case in Sonoma County.

Under the plea agreement, Scheffler will serve his sentence in the Marin County Jail instead of state prison, his defense attorney Jon Rankin said after the hearing. As part of the plea agreement, the charge of causing serious bodily injury was also dropped.

“He will be able to rebuild his life after serving his prison sentence,” Rankin said.

Judge Kelly Simmons set Scheffler’s sentencing for November 12. She told Scheffler he faced four to six years in prison.

The case centers on the death of Samantha Azzolino, a Cloverdale resident, on Aug. 26, 2023. That evening, she and her friend went with Scheffler to San Francisco, where the defendant purchased cocaine and the synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office. Later, when they had urgent medical needs, he took them to Novato Community Hospital.

Scheffler told hospital staff that one of his passengers was having seizures and the other was unable to wake up, Assistant District Attorney Sean Kensinger said in a statement. Kensinger said Scheffler left the hospital after Azzolino was pronounced dead and the surviving victim was placed in a medically induced coma.

Novato police contacted Scheffler that night, searched him and discovered drug paraphernalia and a bag of a powdered substance identified as fentanyl, Kensinger wrote. The affidavit says Scheffler admitted he had used fentanyl earlier in the day. The officers initially detained him for being under the influence of drugs.

According to the pathologist’s statement, Azzolino died from a combination of cocaine and fentanyl.

Marin County sheriff’s investigators arrested Scheffler in February. He was released on bail.

On Monday, in addition to changing the plea, Scheffler waived his right to a preliminary hearing and a jury trial.

“I’m glad he took responsibility early on, and we look forward to the verdict,” Kensinger said after the hearing.