TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — A North Texas man has been indicted for murder in connection with a fentanyl overdose death – the first for Tarrant County since a new Texas law went into effect in September, officials say.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said 46-year-old Jacob Lindsay has been charged with murder in the death of 26-year-old Brandon Harrison, who overdosed from fentanyl on Sept. 18.
WFAA spoke with Brandon’s father, Richard Harrison, in October following his son’s death. He said Brandon faced addiction but was in the process of turning his life around.
“He was just a good kid,” Richard Harrison told WFAA as he shed tears. “He didn’t deserve to go out like that.”
Prior to his death, Harrison said Brandon bought two blue pills from a dealer, thinking it was Percocet – a brand of oxycodone. Harrison told WFAA that Brandon took one pill and never woke up.
Thursday, Harrison spoke to WFAA and shared his reaction to the indictment.
"I'm glad that justice is gonna be served for Brandon. I do know that Brandon is saving lives, looking down at us and he doesn’t want us to be sad. Cause he was such a happy person," Harrison said. "To hold these guys accountable is 100% gonna make a difference."
According to an arrest affidavit, Fort Worth officers were called to a sober living facility in the 3700 block of Huntwick in response to a report of a “deceased person.” Officers found Brandon inside a bedroom lying on a bed “with no signs of life.” He was pronounced dead when MedStar arrived on scene, police said.
Lindsay was identified as the dealer after officers discovered a text conversation between him and Brandon. He was located and arrested the day after Brandon’s death.
Lindsay is now the first to face a murder charge for dealing fentanyl-laced pills in Tarrant County, the DA’s Office said, which will be handled by the office’s new narcotics unit.
"A good message has been sent out to the rest of the people that decide they wanna sell these blue counterfeit pills to mine and everyone else's children out there with the possibility of them dying," Harrison said.
The law which went into effect Sept. 1 allows a person to be charged with murder if they supply or distribute fentanyl and it leads to a death, according to the DA’s Office.