Modoc District Attorney issued the following press release;
А 34-year-old Fort Bidwell resident has pleaded guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter in connection with the drug-related death of a Cedarville woman in late 2024.
On January 12, 2026, Derk Martin Aalpoel entered a guilty plea in Modoc County Superior Court to Voluntary Manslaughter stemming from the death of 34-year-old Fawn Goodwin of Cedarville. The case was investigated by Modoc County Sheriff’s Deputies Joe Harris and Erik Von
Rader, who conducted an extensive investigation involving digital records, witness interviews, and search warrants. The investigation determined that Aalpoel provided Ms. Goodwin with drugs containing methamphetamine and fentanyl. According to the Washoe County, Nevada Regional
Medical Examiner’s Office, the toxicity of those substances caused her death. Ms. Goodwin was found deceased in her apartment on October 28, 2024. This case was initially charged as Second Degree Murder and represents the first homicide conviction in Modoc County based on the act of providing drugs that resulted in death. “We are very satisfied with the outcome of this case,” said Modoc County District Attorney
Nina Salarno. “My office is firmly committed to holding accountable anyone who causes the death or serious injury of another by giving or selling dangerous drugs.” Aalpoel entered his plea pursuant to an agreement with the District Attorney’s Office. Under the terms of the agreement, he will receive six years of felony probation, with a six-year state prison sentence suspended. Aalpoel has been in custody at the Modoc County Jail since December 2024. Following the plea, Judge Karen Dixon ordered a probation report. Sentencing is scheduled
for February 10, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in Modoc County Superior Court.
