PARKER COUNTY, Texas — Parker County officials say four suspected fentanyl-related murder cases have been reported since a new law went into effect on Sept. 1, 2023, creating a criminal offense of murder for manufacturing or distributing fentanyl that results in death.
Those cases have been filed with the Parker County District Attorney's Office, according to investigators, with pending toxicology results. Those who died range in age from 17 to 36.
The Parker County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Crimes Unit is investigating a fifth fentanyl poisoning case as of last week, they said, that’s pending toxicology results.
Deputies say 33-year-old Chukwubogu Okwedi of Frisco was arrested in January on charges of murder and manufacturing delivery of a controlled substance for selling narcotics containing fentanyl which resulted in the death of a 36-year-old male in late January. As of Feb. 14, Okwedi remains incarcerated on a $350,000 bond, officials said.
Parker County Sheriff Russ Authier said although additional cases may have been reported, those cases are still under investigation.
“We will no longer look into Fentanyl deaths as ‘poisoning’ cases,” said Authier. “Now we will be looking at all Fentanyl-related death cases as murder investigations. Texas can expect to see a spike in the number of murder charges with the new law. Parker County has already seen four and possibly five [cases] in a few short months. We cannot stress enough the importance of educating the public about the dangers of Fentanyl. Even minute amounts are found to be deadly. It’s simply not worth risking a life.”
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