NFL Hall of Famer’s nephew charged in fentanyl overdose death

SAN DIEGO ( KSWB/KUSI ) — One of the nephews of late NFL Hall of Famer Tiaina Baul “Junior” Seau Jr. is facing a homicide charge in connection to the fentanyl overdose death of a 31-year-old in San Diego last year.

Micah Seau, 31, pleaded not guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit a crime during his arraignment in a San Diego County Court on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the co-defendant in the case, 59-year-old Sheri Cavanaugh, also pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

According to the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, the allegations levied at Seau and Cavanaugh stem from the fentanyl overdose death of 31-year-old Connor Gerhart on June 1, 2023.

Prosecutors are accusing Seau and Cavanaugh of supplying Gerhart with the fentanyl that ultimately led to his overdose.

“These defendants were aware of the dangers of the illegal drugs they were selling and in a callous indifference to the victim’s overdose death, conspired to continue dealing this poison in our communities,” said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold individuals accountable for murder in cases like this and work to deliver justice for Connor’s family and loved ones.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Overdose Response Team began its investigation at the scene of the overdose death the day after the incident. There, investigators determined that Seau and Gerhart were longtime friends and that Cavanaugh and Seau were longtime associates dealing illegal drugs.

“The investigation further showed that on May 31, 2023, Seau purchased at least $1,200 worth of fentanyl pills from co-defendant Cavanaugh in La Mesa. Thereafter, Seau invited the victim to pick up his pills and charged him $700,” Stephan said.

Prosecutors say Gerhart picked up the pills, took some of them, and died on the evening of June 1. He was found in his home by a family friend.

A public obituary said Gerhart was at his home in Pacific Beach when he passed. The obituary, which was created by his step-mother, father and wife, added that Gerhart “suffered from bouts of depression, chronic pain related to sports injuries and surgeries, and [an] opioid addiction” — factors that it says contributed to his death.

Seau and Cavanaugh allegedly continued to be in contact about Seau buying more drugs after Gerhart’s death, per the DA.

On May 31, Seau and Cavanaugh were arrested without incident at their homes.

A readiness hearing is set for June 12. If Seau and Cavanaugh are convicted of all charges, they face 15 years to life in state prison.

Seau was born in Stockton, Calif., and later moved to his uncle’s hometown of San Diego to play football at San Diego State University as a part of the defensive line from 2012 to 2015.

His father, Junior Seau’s older brother Savaii, died in 2022 after a head-on crash with a dump truck in Lakeside. Junior died by suicide ten years prior, in 2012. It was later determined the linebacker had chronic traumatic encephalopathy due to repeated head trauma.

Junior, who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history, played the seminal years of his career as a San Diego Charger between 1990 and 2002. During that time, he helped lead the team to Super Bowl XXIX.

Junior also played for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots before retiring in 2009. The linebacker was a six-time first-team All-Pro, twelve-time Pro Bowl selection and played with the NFL 1900s All-Decade Team. He was also named NFL Man of the Year in 1994. He was posthumously inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2015.

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