CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – John Normand Vandal was sentenced Wednesday to serve 18 years for the 2019 fentanyl-related death of his friend, 28-year-old Kayla Marie Valasquez.
Vandal was found guilty Jan. 22, 2026 of second-degree murder, a Class A felony.
Events leading to Valasquez’s death
On the morning of Dec. 14, 2019, EMS responded to a home on Georgetown Road, where Valasquez was found unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Family friend Jeffrey Cothron, who lived in the home, previously testified he discovered Valasquez around 4 a.m. “She’s cold, and her arms are stiff,” he said in a distressed 911 call played for jurors.
During the trial, Vandal testified that he dropped off drugs to Valasquez the day before she died and warned her about their potency. He told jurors her death “haunts me almost every day” and said both of them understood the risks. “Any use could be fatal,” he said.
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Prosecution: ‘A child has lost a mother’
Assistant District Attorney Dilon Barker urged the court to impose a significant sentence, arguing Vandal knowingly provided a dangerous substance. “The defendant knew that some of the drugs he was administering had risks of death,” Barker said. “A child has lost a mother and a father had to find his daughter dead in his home.”
Barker referenced prior testimony from Benjamin Newton, a longtime friend of Vandal’s who overdosed after using heroin with him in October 2019. He regained consciousness in an ambulance after Vandal called 911.
Barker also pointed to Vandal’s messages to Valasquez on the day of the drop-off. “The defendant gave her a recipe on how to use it,” he said. “She said she was scared, and he encouraged her to keep going. … He said to use the smallest amount possible.”
Defense: ‘He didn’t force her to do anything’
Vandal made a brief statement to the court, apologizing to the Valasquez family. “I know that nothing that could happen to me will ever take away the pain they have gone through,” he said. “I wish I could go back in time and change everything, but I can’t.”
Attorney Chase Smith said Valasquez arranged the purchase and gave Vandal specific instructions on where to leave the drugs while she was shopping at Marshalls.
Smith argued Vandal was an addict, not a dealer, and that Valasquez supplied her own syringes and equipment. He added that Valasquez bore responsibility for her own actions. “She was the one who had the syringes,” he said. “She was the one who did it. Mr. Vandal didn’t force her to do anything.”
Smith also referenced Vandal’s messages warning Valasquez about the strength of the drug. “He didn’t want her to die,” he said. “He loved her.”
“Both parties here had motivations to commit a crime,” Smith said. “It was her decision to get the drugs. It was her decision to use them.”
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Sentencing to 18 years in prison
Judge William Goodman III ordered Vandal to serve 18 years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections. While second-degree murder carries a sentence of 15 to 60 years in prison, Tennessee law requires judges to sentence within the defendant’s offender range. As a Range I offender, Vandal faced 15 to 25 years.
“This is just an absolute tragedy,” Goodman said.
He referenced the victim impact statement submitted by the victim’s father, Paul Valasquez. “I cannot begin to feel the pain that you must suffer from this,” he said.
Goodman said the evidence showed Vandal was aware of the drug’s danger, citing his messages telling Valasquez to “use as little as possible” and “you can always take more.”
“There’s a father left that’s grieving and a child that will grow up not knowing his mother because of the defendant’s actions,” he said. “The defendant knew it was dangerous. That’s why he gave instructions on how to use it.”
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