Oakland police launch investigation after fentanyl death of top prosecutor’s estranged husband

OAKLAND — Police have opened a felony investigation into the death of Terrell Hegler, a vice president of a prominent anti-homelessness nonprofit and estranged husband of the top deputy of state Attorney General Rob Bonta, this news organization has learned.

Hegler, 40, was found dead of an apparent fentanyl overdose last month at a waterfront apartment on Oakland’s 8th Avenue. Police searched the apartment and seized Hegler’s cellphone in an attempt to figure out how he acquired the deadly drug, according to court records.

Hegler’s death, which resulted in an outpouring of grief across the East Bay, where he was known well beyond the nature of his work, demonstrates how the devastating effects of the fentanyl epidemic have permeated society. The tragedy also coalesces two national crises that have rocked the Bay Area.

Hegler dedicated years of his life to providing shelter for unhoused people and was a passionate advocate for programs that turned over co-living environments to those affected by the ever-present housing crisis, then became a casualty of a fentanyl epidemic that has destroyed millions of lives and become a leading cause of death, homelessness and economic despair nationwide.

At the time of his death, Hegler was the vice president of real estate and asset management at Bay Area Community Services, a nonprofit that spends millions in public funds each year providing houses for homeless people.

The only witness to his death was Jamie Almanza, the nonprofit’s CEO, who told police that Hegler had taken a blue pill hours earlier, and that she awoke from her sleep at around 6:15 p.m. on March 2 to find him deceased, authorities said.

Police seized pills, believed to be fentanyl, Xanax and Adderall, in the Brooklyn Basin apartment on 8th Avenue and noticed the presence of alcohol and marijuana there, authorities said. They also interviewed Hegler’s wife, California Attorney General Chief Deputy Venus Johnson, who allegedly told them that she’d found drugs in Hegler’s possession before but he’d told her they belonged to Almanza, authorities said.

There is no indication that either Johnson or Almanza are a target of the police investigation. Police are looking for an unknown person who supplied the deadly drug.

As chief deputy of the AG’s office, Johnson is effectively the second-highest law enforcement official in the state, beneath Bonta. She previously worked for the office under former Vice President Kamala Harris. Johnson was a finalist to become the next Alameda County District Attorney after Pamela Price was recalled in November, but lost the bid to retired judge Urusla Jones Dickson. Before that, Johnson was the second-in-command of the Contra Costa DA’s office.

Johnson declined to comment and requested privacy on the matter.

In a written statement, Almanza did not comment on the circumstances of Hegler’s death, instead focusing on his work at BACS. She said he will be missed and was responsible for turning 100 homes, apartments and motels into housing for the homeless.

“There has never been, and never will be, another Terrell Hegler. Terrell didn’t just work at BACS — he was a force that pushed us all to challenge everything standing in the way of dignity and housing for all,” Almanza wrote. “Working on the front lines of the housing crisis is difficult, and it impacts all of us every day. Terrell was no exception to that, even as he made the impossible happen — again and again.”

The police investigation is continuing and authorities have not announced any arrests or charges in relation to Hegler’s death. The California Department of Justice, also known as the state AG’s office, released a brief statement saying those at the agency are “focused on giving Venus the space and time to grieve and heal following such a heart breaking and tragic loss.”

As the fentanyl epidemic continues to destroy lives nationwide, prosecutors across California and beyond have shown a willingness to charge dealers with serious crimes, especially when their sales result in a death.

One recent tragic reminder was the death of Steven Ramirez, a Santa Cruz-area fire captain whose alleged fentanyl dealer was hit by San Jose-based federal prosecutors on March 27 with a charge that carries a life sentence. In 2023, Riverside County prosecutors achieved a landmark second-degree murder conviction against a drug dealer who sold counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, killing a 26-year-old woman.

In Hegler’s case, Almanza called Oakland police to the Brooklyn Basin apartment a little before 7 p.m. on March 2, explaining that Hegler — whom she described as an ex-romantic partner and current friend — had been staying there pending a divorce from his wife. Almanza said that after waking up from a long sleep, she noticed obvious signs that Hegler was dead or dying, called 911, attempted CPR and administered Narcan, authorities said.

When officers arrived, Almanza allegedly told them that Hegler had taken a blue pill labeled “Sol,” and that Hegler said he’d received it from an unnamed friend, according to authorities. Police conducted a cursory search of Almanza’s phone — reportedly with her permission — and didn’t find any evidence she’d solicited drugs from anyone. They then seized Hegler’s phone with a warrant, records show; investigators are looking through his social media accounts in an attempt to find the person who supplied him fentanyl.

According to court records, Johnson later told police that Hegler had experienced a previous overdose, which she learned about only after the fact, in January 2024. She provided investigators a note, which Johnson believed had been written by Almanza and left at a hospital, saying that Hegler overdosed after attending a party in Livermore and that Narcan was administered, saving him, the records say.

Hegler’s funeral was held in late March. He was memorialized online by dozens of comments and postings describing him as a man who spent his life doing good deeds.

“I am grateful for those like Terrell who made a number of good choices throughout his life that made a huge difference for himself and others around him,” one Oakland nonprofit leader said in a Facebook post. He later added, “Oakland breaks my heart often. However, Oakland also finds ways to inspire, encourage, uplift and motivate me day after day. It’s the people, the organizations, the businesses and the hope that will keep me seeking out what else will Oakland find a way to do despite the tragedies and misfortunes that befall it.”

Bay Area Community Services, where Hegler started as a property manager, helps unhoused people move into shared living spaces or shelter. The organization is mostly funded by public contracts and “government support,” which accounted for roughly $137 million of its approximate $150 million budget in 2023, according to financial documents posted by the organization.

Almanza, the CEO, was named as state Sen. Nancy Skinner’s 2020 “Woman of the Year” for her work leading the “phenomenal organization,” according to a post by the East Bay senator’s office announcing the honor.

Staff writer Jakob Rodgers contributed reporting.