Woman Sentenced to Up to 8 Years in Fatal Caesars Palace Fentanyl Overdose Following Manslaughter Plea

LAS VEGAS, NV — A 25-year-old Las Vegas woman was led from a courtroom in handcuffs after being sentenced to prison for supplying counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl that caused the fatal overdose of a Utah tourist inside a Caesars Palace hotel room.

District Judge Michelle Leavitt sentenced Heidi Warner, 25, to a term of three to eight years in Nevada state prison in Clark County District Court.

The sentencing resolves a prosecution that originated as a second-degree murder indictment, marking a resolved conviction under Clark County’s legal strategy holding illicit drug providers criminally liable for fatal overdoses within resort corridor properties.

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|          HEIDI WARNER OVERDOSE SENTENCING DOSSIER      |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
|  - Defendant: Heidi Warner, Age 25 (Las Vegas)         |
|  - Presiding Jurist: District Judge Michelle Leavitt   |
|  - Court: Department 12, Clark County District Court   |
|  - Sentence Imposed: 3 to 8 Years Nevada State Prison  |
|  - Negotiated Charge: Voluntary Manslaughter (Plea)    |
|  - Original Charges: Second-Degree Murder & Unlawful   |
|    Sale / Distribution of a Controlled Substance       |
|  - Victim: Seneca Higley, Age 44 (St. George, Utah)    |
|  - Incident Date: February 26, 2024                    |
|  - Incident Location: Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino    |
|  - Evidence Recovered: Five Blue Counterfeit "M 30"    |
|    Pills (Confirmed Fentanyl and Acetaminophen)        |
|  - Toxicology Findings: Combined Toxicity of Alcohol,  |
|    Fentanyl, and Prescription Amphetamines             |
|  - Prosecutor Position: Stood Silent at Sentencing    |
|  - Defense Request: Probation Denied by the Bench      |
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The Fatal Discovery at Caesars Palace

The case against Warner stems from the morning of February 26, 2024, when security officers and patrol personnel were called to conduct a welfare check inside a room at Caesars Palace after a former relative reported losing contact with 44-year-old Seneca Higley of Utah.

Responding personnel found Higley unresponsive inside the room. Medical responders pronounced him dead at the scene.

During an on-scene search, investigators with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department recovered drug paraphernalia alongside five blue counterfeit pills stamped “M 30,” designed to mimic prescription oxycodone. Forensic laboratory analysis confirmed the tablets contained lethal concentrations of fentanyl and acetaminophen.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office later ruled Higley’s death an accidental overdose caused by the combined toxic effects of fentanyl, alcohol, and prescription stimulants.

Surveillance video and cell phone extractions revealed that Warner—who was operating as an independent sex worker along the Strip corridor—entered Higley’s room, supplied the pills, and exited the resort alone shortly before Higley fell unresponsive.

Plea Agreement and Denial of Probation

Warner was initially indicted by a Clark County grand jury on charges of second-degree murder and the unlawful sale of a controlled substance.

Under a negotiated plea agreement reached with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, Warner pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, directly admitting that her actions caused Higley’s death. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to make no sentencing recommendation, leaving Warner’s punishment entirely to Judge Leavitt’s discretion.

In court, defense attorney Charles Goodwin argued for probation, explaining that Warner acted as an intermediary after Higley requested narcotics, and contended she was not an organized commercial fentanyl dealer.

Goodwin presented mitigation evidence showing Warner had enrolled in business classes at the College of Southern Nevada, attended substance therapy, and maintained steady employment while out on bail.

Addressing the court, Warner expressed remorse to Higley’s family, stating she took full responsibility for the tragedy.

Judge Leavitt rejected the defense’s bid for probation, citing the severity of the fentanyl crisis on the Las Vegas Strip, and ordered marshals to take Warner into immediate custody to begin serving her 36-to-96-month sentence.

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|             STRIP OVERDOSE ENFORCEMENT CONTEXT         |
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|  • Prosecutorial Precedent: DA's Office continues      |
|    charging fentanyl-supplying cases as homicides      |
|  • Public Health Metrics: Clark County fentanyl-       |
|    related fatal overdoses surged over 90% since 2020  |
|  • Hotel Corridor Scrutiny: Rapid toxicology probes    |
|    target street-level suppliers within 48 hours       |
+--------------------------------------------------------+

Warner will serve her sentence in the custody of the Nevada Department of Corrections.

Source: Eighth Judicial District Court Records (Dept. 12), Las Vegas Review-Journal Courts Desk (David Wilson), Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner.