Hearing delayed in case of man charged in 2-year-old son’s fentanyl death

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — It will be at least another month before a preliminary hearing is held for a man charged with murder in his 2-year-old son’s death from fentanyl toxicity .

The hearing for Raul Rivera was postponed Thursday to Oct. 15, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Rivera, 24, is charged with first-degree murder and child cruelty and is being held without bail.

His son, Ezekiel Rivera , died last year from fentanyl toxicity , according to coroner’s officials, and reports say another child in the home tested positive for fentanyl but survived.

Rivera didn’t call authorities after Ezekiel was discovered unresponsive the night of June 5, 2023, at a home on Sentido Drive, according to court documents. Hours passed; it wasn’t until Raul Rivera’s father found the child motionless that 911 was called, documents said.

Ezekiel’s mother has filed a lawsuit against the Kern County Sheriff’s Office in connection to her son’s death. Deputies were called during a custody exchange two days earlier.

Despite seeing Raul Rivera holding a bag containing a white substance, knowing of his prior drug history and being warned by the boy’s mother, the deputies didn’t remove Ezekiel from his custody, according to the suit. A scheduling conference is set for January.

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