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Inside the Tuolumne County Courthouse, 28-year-old Stacey Renee Christ was sentenced to 13 years in a state prison on charges of voluntary manslaughter and other felony drug charges. Prosecutors say Christ supplied 39-year-old Richard Jimmie Bennett – known as RJ to his family – with a fatal dose of fentanyl in October of 2024.
This case marks the county’s first fentanyl-related murder sentencing in its history. During the investigation, Christ also pleaded guilty to transporting fentanyl from San Francisco County in a separate felony charge tied to Bennet’s death.
As seven family members delivered powerful victim impact statements, the weight of their loss was visible. Some slumped in their seats in grief, while others sobbed uncontrollably.
“I woke up with shattered knees,” said RJ’s aunt, Angie Valentine. “Me and the family, just trying to pull ourselves together to come to the most difficult date that we’ve ever had to have next to the day of October 10 when his life was taken by Stacey Christ.”
RJ, a father, uncle, son, and brother, was described as a protector with a big heart. His niece, Cheyenne Erwin, says she wants her uncle to be remembered as a loving and caring person, and hopes his case will come as a warning to others.
“I hope that they’ll see that such disregard for life is not tolerated,” said Erwin.
A County Taking a Stand
Tuolumne County Sheriff David Vasquez stood with Bennett’s family inside the courtroom. He says the sentencing should come as a message to the community that accountability is just beginning.
Vasquez said there were 23 drug-related deaths in the county last year, with 18 being specifically fentanyl.
“For a population our size, that’s astronomical numbers,” said Vasquez.
Christ sobbed as the family read their victim impact statements during the sentencing, and hid her face behind her hands.
“The judge today, Laura Krieg, as I watched her listen to my friends and family’s statements, as their tears fell, I saw her tears fall,” said family member Theresa Blackwood. “And I saw the district attorney’s tears fell.”
“We’re Going to Fight”
The family says their journey for justice is far from over, and that RJ’s story will not end in the courtroom.
“We’re going to fight,” said Valentine. “This is just the beginning of honoring him.”
RJ’s mother Cyndi Bennett was too distraught to speak on camera, but provided a statement to FOX 40:
“Fentanyl poisoning is one of the most heartbreaking epidemics I’ve ever seen. It is a war against a generation.”
Cyndi also expressed her gratitude to the Sheriff and other investigators who helped the family along the way.
Family members and close friends shared emotional and humorous stories of their memories with RJ. They spoke of his unmatched talent for pumpkin carving, attention to detail, and his love for spending time with family.
They added that RJ was known to welcome people into his home, including those struggling with drug use, just as Christ had been.
RJ’s son joined the courtroom via Zoom and said he had to move across the country to escape the painful memory of losing his father. He spoke of heartbreak knowing that his baby daughter would never know her grandfather.
“We all loved RJ from the moment he opened his eyes, to the moment Stacey Christ closed them,” said Andrew Roberts, one of RJ’s long-time friends.
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