Denton man charged with murder in fentanyl-related death under new Texas law
Police have charged a Denton man with murder in a fentanyl-related drug death, the Denton Police Department announced this week.
Officials say 31-year old Pedro Martinez sold cocaine laced with fentanyl to his 26-year-old coworker Dylan King, who died after taking the drugs in January.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled that King’s cause of death was combined cocaine and fentanyl toxicity.
Detectives interviewed Martinez in the Denton County Jail, where he was being held on other charges.
According to detectives, Martinez was aware the drugs contained fentanyl when he sold them to King.
Martinez’s case is the fifth fentanyl-related murder charge in Denton County since a new Texas state law took effect in September 2023.
🚨 More top stories from our newsroom:
→ Accused drunk driver slams into 2 cyclists near Dallas-Fort Worth Airport
→ Gateway Church pastor resigns after admitting to sexually abusing 12-year-old girl
→ Allan Saxe, beloved UT Arlington professor, has died/a>
[Get our breaking news alerts.]
The law created a murder charge for supplying fentanyl that results in death.
“The fentanyl epidemic has taken far too many innocent lives, but thanks to the work by brave parents and loved ones, like those here today, we have made Texans aware of this crisis,” Gov. Greg Abbott said at the bill’s signing.
Martinez is being held in the Denton County Jail. His bail has not yet been set.
