A 38-year-old woman was indicted on felony charges in New York after prosecutors say she used fentanyl-laced drugs to paralyze and rob four men, killing three of them.

Tabitha Bundrick, 38, is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with nearly a dozen counts of murder, robbery, burglary and assault, prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office confirmed in a news release on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

The anesthetic, synthetic opioid drug is illegal without a doctor's prescription and extremely deadly. It is sometimes found mixed into recreational drugs, including cocaine.

According to court documents and information from Bragg's office, between April 2023 and February 2024, Bundrick allegedly "purposely provided men fentanyl-laced drugs." While the men were unconscious, prosecutors wrote, she robbed them of items including their phones, money, watches, clothing and sneakers.

Authorities arrested Bundrick during a March 5, 2025, execution of a search warrant at her home, where police said they recovered four pairs of the victims’ sneakers.

“This callous behavior allegedly led to the deaths of three people," Bragg said in a statement following the indictment. "Each incident was calculated: Tabitha Bundrick knowingly provided fentanyl-laced drugs to incapacitate her victims so she could steal their personal belongings.”

USA TODAY has reached out to the public defender's office representing Bundrick.

4 men, 3 killings, 1 deadly opioid

The first incident allegedly took place April 20, 2023, when prosecutors said the defendant approached two men on the street in the city's Washington Heights neighborhood to sell them soap. At some point, the defendant allegedly offered them sex for money, led them to an empty apartment, broke into it, then offered the duo fentanyl-laced drugs she claimed were cocaine.

The next morning, prosecutors say, one of the men woke up to find his 42-year-old friend, Mario Paullan, dead beside him. "The victim had no recollection of what occurred and found many of their personal belongings were missing, including his cellphone," court documents said. "Bundrick allegedly used the stolen cellphone to make phone calls."

The second death took place on Sept. 27, 2023, when the defendant met 39-year-old Miguel Navez, visited his nearby apartment and allegedly provided him with fentanyl-laced drugs. On Sept. 30, prosecutors wrote, Navez’s brother found him dead. Many of his personal belongings were missing, including his phone, which Bundrick allegedly used to make personal calls.

The third incident occurred in upper Manhattan on Feb. 25, 2024, when Bundrick allegedly followed Abrihan Fernandez, 34, to his apartment building. The pair spoke outside before going upstairs, where prosecutors said she again provided fentanyl-laced drugs to the man, who later died.

A few hours after entering the apartment, prosecutors wrote, the defendant entered and exited several times. She allegedly stole Fernandez's credit card, which officials said she later used.

New charges come after Bundrick sentenced to prison for distribution

New York Department of Corrections records showed Bundrick, in federal custody at the time of her arrest, remained jailed on Thursday, Sept. 25 at a Rikers Island facility.

In 2024, federal prosecutors charged Bundrick with distribution of narcotics resulting in the death of the men, and she pleaded guilty to two counts of a lesser narcotics-distribution charge. She was sentenced to 13 years in prison this year, according to court records.

“I recognize that there’s no excuse that can make up for what I did and I’m here today because I know I must face the consequences of my actions,” she wrote in a letter submitted to the court before she was sentenced, the New York Times reported. “I deeply regret every decision I made and I’m determined to use this experience as a turning point.”

What charges was Tabitha Bundrick indicted on?

Bundrick was indicted on the following new state charges:

  • Second-degree murder, three counts
  • First-degree robbery, four counts
  • Second-degree burglary: two counts
  • Second-degree assault: two counts

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Woman indicted after she allegedly used fentanyl-laced drugs to rob 4 men, killing 3

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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