A North Richland Hills man has been sentenced to six years in prison after admitting his role in a fentanyl-related overdose that killed 35-year-old Stephan McMullen in January 2024.
Guilty plea and sentence
Yesterday, Steven Strinko pleaded guilty to manslaughter and told the court his actions recklessly caused McMullen's death. Criminal District Court No. 4 Judge Andy Porter accepted the plea agreement and handed down a six-year sentence, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Prosecutors said the deal resolved the case without taking Strinko to trial on a potential murder charge that could have brought far tougher penalties.
Investigation and arrests
The North Richland Hills Special Investigations Unit launched its case after emergency crews found McMullen unresponsive in the 900 block of Lincolnshire Lane on Jan. 25, 2024. Investigators treated the death as a fentanyl poisoning from the start. North Richland Hills police arrested Strinko in May 2024, and another suspect, Gary Adam Hughes, was taken into custody in March 2024, according to a North Richland Hills Police news release.
Co-defendant and legal stakes
Authorities allege Strinko supplied the fentanyl tied to the fatal dose. Prosecutors say co-defendant Gary Hughes remains under indictment on a murder charge stemming from the same investigation. In court, prosecutors noted that if Strinko had gone to trial on a murder count with repeat-offender enhancements, he could have faced a sentence measured in decades, a risk the defense weighed while hammering out the plea deal, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
State law and wider context
The case is playing out under a 2023 change to Texas law that lets prosecutors pursue murder charges when fentanyl supplied by a defendant causes a death. The law took effect Sept. 1, 2023, and has coincided with more aggressive fentanyl prosecutions across the state.
What’s next
For now, Strinko’s six-year sentence closes his chapter of the case, while the murder indictment against Hughes remains active and could bring more court hearings. Prosecutors and legal observers say the updated statute is reshaping how these cases are charged in Texas, a shift tracked by the Texas District & County Attorneys Association and other outlets.
