A 21-year-old man from Jonestown has been slapped with murder charges after a Leander teenager succumbed to a fentanyl overdose, officials announced. Kreli Haynes, the accused, was arrested by U.S. Marshals and Cedar Park Police on a warrant out of Williamson County, as reported by KVUE.
The Williamson County Sheriff's Office stated that the incident unfolded on December 16, when deputies found the 16-year-old male deceased in a residence on the 2500 block of Socorro Bend in Leander. Haynes' connection to the deadly incident was made after a thorough investigation, he is now facing additional charges which include possession of a Scheduled I controlled substance and unlawful carry.
Sheriff Mike Gleason underscored the gravity of the situation, given that the legal landscape now allows individuals like Haynes to be charged with murder if their distribution of fentanyl results in death. This particular charge marks the second of its kind in Williamson County under the new state law, according to a statement from Sheriff Gleason shared by The Austin American Statesman.
Held in Williamson County Jail, Haynes' bond totals have exceeded $1.2 million in the wake of the accusations. The lethal potential of fentanyl is such, that merely 2 milligrams—akin to a few grains of salt—are enough to kill a person, emphasizing the high stakes of the substance's illicit trade and consumption.
