Shorewood man sentenced to 10 years in prison in drug-induced homicide case

A Shorewood man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for giving fentanyl to a 25-year-old man who died from an overdose in 2017.

The 10-year prison sentence for Saul Nunez, 45, of Shorewood, was announced on Tuesday by Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s Office. Nunez was credited with 1,282 already served in the Will County jail.

On Monday, Nunez pleaded guilty to drug-induced homicide of 25-year-old Christopher Shanine, who was found June 23, 2017, face down on the ground in the yard of Nunez’s home, according to Glasgow’s office. Nunez also pleaded guilty to unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, court records show.

An investigation by the Shorewood Police Department led them to determine that Nunez had been in contact with Shanine previous evening into the early morning hours of June 23, 2017, Glasgow’s office said.

Police executed a search warrant that led them to recover syringes full of a liquid substance confirmed to contain a mixture of morphine, heroin and fentanyl at Nunez’s residence, Glasgow’s office said.

An autopsy of Shanine revealed he died of fentanyl and heroin intoxication.

In a statement, Glasgow said Nunez is the 17th defendant in Will County to receive a prison sentence for “dealing deadly poison that causes the death of another.”

“Although these cases are often extremely difficult to investigate, our police departments and my office are committed to doing everything we can to take dealers who sell deadly drugs like fentanyl off our streets,” Glasgow said.

In 2021, 147 people in Will County died from drug overdoses and 140 of those overdoses were related to opioids, according to Glasgow.

“We need to remain vigilant in combatting this public health crisis in our community,” Glasgow said.

Since 2009, Glasgow’s office has charged 20 defendants in drug-induced homicide cases. Two of those cases are pending while another was dismissed following the death of a witness.