Denton suspects charged with murder in North Carolina man's fentanyl overdose death
DENTON, Texas - Denton County announced the arrests of two suspects who are charged with murder in a fentanyl overdose death.
Investigators said Tabitha Balent and Raymond Hernandez, who are both from Denton, are responsible for supplying the drugs to 29-year-old Corey Alan Culver, of North Carolina.
Culver's body was found in a Denton motel back on October 18, along with drug paraphernalia and pills.
The medical examiner ruled his death was caused by a combination of cocaine and fentanyl.
Detectives searched Balent's phone and found multiple texts between Balent and the victim about buying pills and having them delivered.
Balent admitted to acquiring the pills from Hernandez with whom she lived, and then gave them to Culver, according to Denton police.
Both suspects were arrested on December 13. Balent and Hernandez are in jail on a $100,000 bond.
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Tarrant County man indicted for murder in fentanyl overdose case
A Tarrant County grand jury handed down the county’s first murder indictment for a man accused of supplying deadly fentanyl.
In Tarrant County, a grand jury handed down the county’s first murder indictment for a man accused of supplying deadly fentanyl.
A new Texas law now allows a person to be charged with murder for supplying fentanyl that leads to death.
What's yet to be seen is whether these might be difficult to prosecute, and also if cases like these will make a big enough dent in the uphill battle against fentanyl.
Kathy O’Keefe founded Winning the Fight, which provides drug education, support, and resources, after the loss of her son, Brett, to an accidental overdose in 2010.
"We need to let people understand this is not a game anymore," she said.
O’Keefe said the more serious penalties might help draw more attention to the severity of fentanyl.
"If those murder cases lead up to people paying attention, then we need those because this is not a good place, not for our country, not for our families, not for anybody, our military. This is not a good situation," she said.
But some do fear it puts the focus on low level dealers without addressing the problem at the source.
Roderick White is an attorney not connected to the cases.
"The focus should be higher up the distribution scheme, penalizing that guy who’s selling this for $5 or $10 in a gas station parking lot and calling him a murderer only allows government to say, ‘Hey look, we’re doing something about the fentanyl crisis,’ while never having to address who’s making it, how are they getting it into our communities," he explained.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there are a lot of resources available. Click here for more information on some of those resources by Winning the Fight.