Nunez Sentenced to 10 Years for Drug Induced Homicide

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow recently announced Saul Nunez, 45, of Shorewood, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling fentanyl to a 25-year-old man who died from an overdose in Shorewood in 2017. Nunez pled guilty to one count of Drug Induced Homicide, a Class X felony, and one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a Class 2 felony. Nunez was sentenced by Circuit Judge Daniel Rippy to 10 years in prison for the Class X felony, to be served concurrently with a three-year sentence for the Class 2 felony.

The victim, Christopher Shanine, of Shorewood, was found June 23, 2017, face down on the ground in the yard of the home of the defendant, who was living with his parents. Shorewood police analyzed the victim’s cell phone and observed he had been in contact with the defendant through video, voice, and text messages, spanning from the previous evening into the early morning hours of June 23, 2017. In one text, Nunez wrote, “I’ll have it prepared” and, in another, texted “come now.”

Following the execution of a search warrant, police recovered syringes full of a liquid substance, later confirmed to contain a mixture of morphine, heroin, and fentanyl, at Nunez’ residence. An autopsy revealed the victim died of fentanyl and heroin intoxication.

“Saul Nunez is the 17th Will County defendant to receive a prison sentence for dealing deadly poison that causes the death of another. Although these cases are often extremely difficult to investigate, our police departments and my office are committed to doing everything we can to take dealers, who sell deadly drugs like fentanyl, off our streets,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow.

“In 2021, there were 147 people in Will County who died from overdoses, and 140 of those overdoses were opioid related. We need to remain vigilant in combatting this public health crisis in our community,” he added.

Fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. Glasgow noted the Drug Enforcement Administration has developed a “Faces of Fentanyl” exhibit to share the stories and commemorate the lives lost from fentanyl poisoning.

Individuals who have lost loved ones to fentanyl may submit their stories, including the name, age, and photo of the individual, to fentanylawareness@dea.gov, or post a photo and the loved one’s name to social media using the hashtag #justKNOW.