(EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) — The 4th Judicial District Attorney’s (DA) Office announced on Wednesday, Feb. 7 that a historic sentence had been handed down to a woman connected to the fentanyl intoxication death of her cellmate at the El Paso County Jail in 2023.

Katariina Gibson was found guilty in November 2023 of two felony charges, including Proximate Cause of Death by Unlawful Distribution and Introducing Contraband in the Second Degree. Gibson was charged with distribution of fentanyl after her cellmate, 44-year-old Renee Lowrance died of fentanyl intoxication on Jan. 20, 2023.

The 4th Judicial DA’s Office said on Feb. 2, 2024, its office made Colorado history by handing down the most severe sentence for this crime—28 years.

“There is a point, Ms. Gibson, where this is less about you and more about protecting people from you,” said Judge Samuel Evig as he addressed Gibson in the courtroom.

DA Michael Allen has made it a priority to address the “alarming increase in fentanyl deaths” and has directed the DA’s Office to prioritize these types of cases.

“Fentanyl and other opioids are causing needless deaths in our community,” said DA Allen. “If you distribute fentanyl anywhere in the 4th Judicial District, including within the jail, you will be held accountable.”