Fentanyl dealer sentenced for deadly overdose of Kyle teenager
HAYS COUNTY, Texas - An 18-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in prison for giving pills laced with fentanyl to a Kyle teenager who died of an overdose.
On April 11, 2023, a 15-year-old in Kyle died of an overdose after taking pills containing fentanyl.
Hays County police investigated and determined that 18-year-old Jaquell Desean Ray had delivered the pills containing fentanyl that caused the death.
Investigators determined that Ray knew he was selling fentanyl and that he was aware of the dangers associated with the drug, and that he had delivered the fentanyl to the victim the evening before his death.
Ray had previously been arrested for dealing fentanyl in 2022. He was out on bond from the earlier arrest when he sold the deadly dose.
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Ray was charged with murder in the overdose death. Ray pleaded guilty to the murder in exchange for an agreement that he serve 10 years in prison.
"It takes so little to kill, to destroy the lives not only of the departed but of the survivors," Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins said. "This office will do everything within its power to stem the tide of death and loss that fentanyl brings to our communities. Holding dealers accountable for the deaths they facilitate is one way we can fight back against the horrific fentanyl epidemic devastating our communities."