A man allegedly motivated by greed killed his foster mother, a California attorney and cancer patient who vanished after attending a chemotherapy session in January 2024, according to prosecutors.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced on Wednesday, October 21, that Cedric Von Ferdinand has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Nadine Jett, whose buried remains were discovered wrapped in a bedsheet in a 6-foot hole on her Valley Center property last summer.
Von Ferdinand, 34, is accused of killing Jett, who was 64, by poisoning her with illicit fentanyl, resulting in a fatal “massive overdose” sometime between January 14, 2024, and January 17, 2024, according to a toxicology report cited by Stephan in a news conference.
After Jett’s death, Von Ferdinand allegedly solicited someone to dig a hole on one of the properties she owned in Valley Center and buried her body. He’s also accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her bank account and transferring the ownership of her properties to his name.
Von Ferdinand was previously charged with real estate fraud in relation to Jett’s properties, according to the district attorney.
“This is a case of deadly greed,” Stephan said.
Von Ferdinand committed real estate fraud and theft on Jett’s estate, “including grand theft, identity theft, forgery and filing false documents,” Stephan noted.
The district attorney described Jett as an excellent Los Angeles County attorney and loving foster mother.
Ahead of Jett’s death, Von Ferdinand allegedly pretended he wanted to move in with her to take care of her as she battled cancer.
By the end of March 2024, Von Ferdinand lied to Jett’s other foster children, claiming she went to Mexico where she died and had been cremated, Stephan said.
The other children, however, became suspicious since there was no death certificate. They ultimately reported Jett as missing.
Von Ferdinand’s foster siblings include the quadruplet Lucci sisters.
“Nadine took us in at a young age after about 10 foster homes, and she was the mom we needed. She gave us a fair chance at life,” one of the four sisters, Bianca Lucci, said at the news conference.
The first-degree murder charge Von Ferdinand faces comes with two special circumstance allegations.
“One for administering poison, which is the fatal dose of fentanyl, and the second special circumstance is that this murder was committed for financial gain,” Stephan said. “His deadly greed led to this horrific homicide. He preyed on her in her time of need when she was suffering from cancer. It is quite despicable.”
Stephan further revealed that when investigators recently searched a condo Von Ferdinand bought in Gardena with money he allegedly stole from Jett, they discovered a fake marriage certificate purporting to be between Von Ferdinand and Jett.
The investigation revealed a codefendant posed as Jett and allegedly forged the marriage license, which was signed and notarized after Jett died. The codefendant was also charged in connection with the alleged identity theft, per the DA’s office.
Von Ferdinand previously pleaded not guilty to fraud charges involving Jett, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. He was arrested in relation to her murder on Tuesday, while he had been out on bail.
His attorney, Ashley Mangold, told the newspaper that Von Ferdinand “maintains his innocence and, most importantly, his love for his mother.”
