On Friday, a 24-year-old Hyattsville man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Montgomery County for supplying fentanyl and cocaine that led to the fatal overdose of 17-year-old Aiden Vining; He faces up to 10 years in prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 12, 2025.
According to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Maryland, before the Honorable Sharon Burrell, the defendant, Cesar Alexander Lopez, 24, of Hyattsville, pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter in the death of year-old Aiden Vining.” 17 years old. Lopez faces up to ten years in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 12, 2025.
On October 24, 2023, a family member found the victim unconscious in his bedroom when they attempted to wake him up for school. Fire Rescue attempted to take life-saving measures but ultimately the victim, Aiden Vining, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers found a straw with white residue at the scene and a round blue pill labeled “M 30” in Vining’s wallet. These types of pills are often referred to as Percocet, percs, erks, or 30s on the street. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death to be cocaine and fentanyl intoxication.
Defendant Cesar Alexander Lopez was arrested following an investigation by Montgomery County Police. On October 23, 2023, telephone messages between the defendant and the victim indicated that they had arranged for the victim to purchase ten “pers.” Subsequent investigation revealed that Vining also purchased cocaine from the defendant three days before his death.
Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Harrison and Kimberly Cecil of our Overdose Prosecution Unit are prosecuting this matter. “We are suffering a heartbreaking loss in our community due to fentanyl overdoses. We must continue to work to educate our youth, in particular, about the dangers of street drugs. The DEA tells us that seven out of every ten pills “It was found to contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.”
