It has been slightly over two years since Kim Osterman tragically lost her eldest son, Max, to fentanyl.
Since that day, every single day has been dedicated to uncovering the truth of what happened.
“I’m not finished,” she said.
In February 2021, the police initiated an investigation into a suspect named Sergio Guerra Carrillo, thanks to the existence of a comprehensive digital paper trail following his death. This trail encompassed various records such as text messages, banking receipts, and surveillance video, ultimately assisting in identifying the person responsible for that particular sale.
Osterman stated that prior to and following my son’s passing, he has been involved in numerous arrests and drug-related offenses.
In January 2022, Guerra-Carrillo was arrested for a separate distribution charge while still under investigation for Max’s death.
After several months of Osterman learning from the Adams County district attorney that no charges would be filed in her son’s death, Carrillo was offered a plea deal.
She said that during his sentencing, she had the chance to speak and express her opinion about him being a threat to our community as a repeat offender. Despite suggesting a sentence in line with his guilty plea, he was ultimately given three years of probation.
Guerra-Carrillo was arrested once more within a short span of a few months. According to court documents obtained by CBS News Colorado, the DEA had been conducting an investigation on him throughout this period. In May 2022, they received a tip-off suggesting his intent to hire a truck driver to transport narcotics into Colorado from the southern border.
According to the arrest papers, it was revealed that he was involved in arranging drug transactions with an undercover agent, even after being offered probation.
Osterman inquired, “As he sold that to the DEA, how many other drugs was he selling and how many more lives has he taken?”
The documents additionally comprise reports from the North Metro Drug task force describing a purchase arranged with Guerra-Carrillo in 2018.
Years prior to Max’s death, he had also been granted probation in that particular case.
She said that if Sergio had been properly dealt with, there was a good chance that her son would still be present today.
Guerra-Carrillo’s cellmate in Adams County Jail has suffered an overdose due to fentanyl.
During the questioning, he confessed to the deputy that he had been involved in fentanyl distribution prior to his arrest, and was allegedly linked to four fatal overdose cases.
Osterman expresses her hope that this time it will prove sufficient to ensure his continued incarceration.
“Time will tell,” she said.
The Adams County District Attorney’s Office was contacted by CBS News Colorado regarding the suspect’s multiple arrests. However, they did not respond as the case is currently open.
They resubmitted the statement from the previous sentencing in July, which addresses the challenges of proving that fentanyl distribution directly caused Osterman’s death.
DAs across the state say they are having difficulty bringing that charge when other substances are found in a person’s system and are now trying to change the law to allow for charges against a dealer connected to a death – with any substance.
