16-year-old overdosed on fentanyl, records show. Now Texas man is charged with murder
Two weeks before a 16-year-old overdosed on fentanyl, a new Texas law went into effect that has led to murder charges against the accused supplier, according to court records and media reports.
Omarion Bailey, 24, was charged with fentanyl murder by delivery on Wednesday, Jan. 17, in Harris County, Texas, records show. His arrest follows the Sept. 15 death in Houston of the juvenile, identified by KTRK as Cooper Root.
The complaint states Bailey knowingly distributed fentanyl to the teen// who died as a result of using the substance. Bailey was arrested Wednesday and placed in the Harris County Jail.
Attorney information for Bailey was not listed.
As of Sept. 1, 2023, it is considered murder to supply fentanyl that results in death, the new bill shows. This is the second time someone has been charged since the new law took effect, according to KTRK.
Root was described by his family as a “true light in the world,” his obituary said.
“Cooper was a fighter and overcomer and worked his way through adversity and challenges most of his young life, showing just what a force of nature he was,” family said in the obituary. “Cooper was meant to change the world but was stolen from us before he could finish growing up.”
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