SAN DIEGO, CA — A man accused of poisoning his former foster mother by providing her with a lethal dose of fentanyl, then allegedly burying her remains at her Valley Center property and using her identity to siphon hundreds of thousands of dollars from her accounts, pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder.
Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, is accused in the death of Nadine Jett, a retired attorney who was battling pancreatic cancer just before she went missing in early 2024.
Von Ferdinand had been acting as Jett's caregiver and living with her at her Valley Center home around the time of her disappearance.
Sheriff's investigators searched her 20-acre Oak Creek Road property last year, where they found her buried, partially mummified remains.
While her cause of death was initially uncertain, a prosecution motion to hold Von Ferdinand in jail without bail states that toxicology results of samples taken from Jett's liver and stomach during her autopsy revealed massive amounts of fentanyl in her system, as well as the presence of acetylfentanyl, which prosecutors say is found in illicitly manufactured fentanyl rather than pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl.
Prosecutors noted in their motion that Jett had not been prescribed fentanyl as part of her cancer treatment.
The motion quoted a toxicologist's report, which stated, "The individual died within a short time period of the administration or ingestion as very little metabolism had taken place."
A medical examiner opined that her cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity and homicide was the manner of death.
Prosecutors allege Von Ferdinand supplied Jett with the fatal dose, then stole her identity in order to take her money and properties. Von Ferdinand had already been facing felony charges that include forgery and identity theft related to allegedly stealing Jett's assets when he was charged with murder earlier this year.
He remains in custody without bail following Thursday's arraignment. Along with murder, he faces special-circumstance allegations of killing Jett for financial gain and administering poison.
The last time Jett was seen alive was Jan. 14, 2024 during a chemotherapy session, according to the prosecution's motion. The criminal complaint filed against Von Ferdinand alleges she was killed sometime between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17.
Prosecutors further contend that around Jan. 16, Von Ferdinand posted an advertisement for someone to dig a 6-feet-by-6-feet hole. Jett's remains were found in a hole with comparable dimensions about 30 yards from her home.
Prior to the body's discovery, Von Ferdinand allegedly told Jett's relatives and friends that Jett had died from cancer in Mexico and been cremated, though no death certificate could be produced to corroborate that, according to prosecutors.
The prosecution's motion states that in May of 2024, Von Ferdinand provided Jett's four foster daughters with an urn that supposedly contained her ashes.
However, the women later reported Jett missing after learning of "suspicious real estate transactions wherein Ms. Jett purportedly transferred her three properties to defendant and gave him power of attorney over her financial affairs," the motion states.
Documents giving Von Ferdinand control of Jett's assets allegedly bear Jett's forged signature and initials, including a will naming Von Ferdinand as the sole beneficiary and executor of her estate.
Jett's ranch, as well as two properties she owned in Los Angeles County, were transferred to him, and Von Ferdinand also purchased another residence in that county, allegedly with money wired from Jett's bank account. Prosecutors also say Von Ferdinand siphoned thousands of dollars from Jett's accounts on a regular basis until about mid-2024.
Also charged in the case is Kimberley Pifer, a woman who allegedly impersonated Jett and married Von Ferdinand under Jett's name. Their marriage license was discovered in Von Ferdinand's home, which was signed and notarized on May 18, 2024, prosecutors said.
Pifer faces charges of forgery and identity theft.
Escondido-based notary public Raymond Joseph Alto is also facing charges for allegedly notarizing documents that prosecutors say bore Jett's forged signature. Next to Jett's purported signature in a notary journal belonging to Alto is a thumbprint that was claimed to be Jett's, but was later determined to be Von Ferdinand's, according to testimony from a preliminary hearing held last year.
— City News Service
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