Casino Honeytrap Used Fentanyl Instead of GHB — Then He Died

A Washington state woman is facing first-degree murder charges after police say she accidentally killed a man she planned to drug and rob inside a casino hotel.

Benzie Picked Up Her Victim At A Casino

According to court documents, 34-year-old Raylin Benzie met her victim, identified only as Arslan, at the ilani Casino Hotel in Ridgefield, located on the Cowlitz Reservation. Investigators say the two struck up a conversation on October 4, when Arslan allegedly offered Benzie $1,200 in winnings if she would accompany him to his hotel room. Surveillance footage shows the pair entering the room together around 3 a.m., with Benzie wearing leopard print clothing. About an hour later, cameras captured her leaving the room alone.

Her Victim Died Of An OD

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Police say that when Benzie returned to the room roughly two hours later with another man, the victim was already dead. The man, later questioned by detectives, told investigators that Benzie confessed she had “drugged” Arslan and that “he probably OD’d and he’s probably going to die,” according to an affidavit obtained by KATU News. The next afternoon, hotel staff discovered Arslan’s body inside the 10th-floor room. Investigators reviewing surveillance footage identified Benzie immediately. When asked about the encounter, Benzie allegedly denied wrongdoing. According to the report she said, “He was [explitive] snoring. That’s weird. That doesn’t make sense.”

Benzie’s Texts Tell The Full Story

Cybersecurity officials are reminding smartphone users that text messages between Android devices and Apple devices are not encrypted and thus are vulnerable to hackers.

Text messages recovered from Benzie’s phone tell a different story. “I PANICKED AND DID SOMETHING DUMB,” she wrote to a friend early on the morning of October 4, shortly after leaving the casino. “I NEED OUT OF HERE PLEASE. I COULD GO AWAY FOR A VERY LONG TIME.” According to investigators, Benzie told acquaintances she often targeted wealthy men by seducing them and then using so-called “date-rape drugs” such as GHB to incapacitate them and steal their money. But on this particular night, she reportedly told a friend she had forgotten those substances — and used fentanyl instead.

Fentanyl Is A Killer

Health Imperatives Director of Harm Reduction Jesse Pack uses a fentanyl test strip to check a test sample at the Hyannis branch of Health Imperatives. Photo taken on August 8, 2025

What may have been intended as a robbery quickly became a fatal overdose. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid dozens of times more powerful than heroin, can kill in microgram doses. Investigators believe Benzie mixed or administered the drug to Arslan while in the room, leading to his death within minutes. Witnesses later told police that Benzie seemed panicked after being interviewed by detectives. “The way she was reacting, I think she did something to cause this man to lose his life,” one acquaintance told officers, according to the affidavit.

She Could Go To Prison For Life

Benzie was arrested on October 31 and charged with first-degree murder, controlled substances homicide, placing poison in a drink, first-degree robbery, and second-degree theft. Her bail has been set at $10 million, and she remains in custody at the Cowlitz County Jail awaiting trial, which is scheduled for January 26, 2026. If convicted, she faces a possible life sentence.