A Williamson County jury on Friday convicted 21-year-old Kreli Haynes of murder in the fentanyl-related death of 16-year-old Leander High School student Zarek McMeekin. Prosecutors say McMeekin was found unresponsive at his home off Socorro Bend on Dec. 10, 2023. Haynes was arrested in March 2024 and now faces sentencing, which is set for Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Verdict And Sentencing Ahead
In court, prosecutors argued that Haynes supplied a counterfeit pill that contained fentanyl and proved fatal to the Leander teen. Sentencing has been reset for Tuesday, April 14, 2026, the Williamson County District Attorney's Office said, according to KEYE/CBS Austin. Prosecutors note Haynes was 21 at the time of his March 2024 arrest and has faced related charges including possession and the unlawful carrying of a firearm.
Haynes' attorney, Sam Bassett, issued a brief statement after the verdict. "Though we don't agree with the verdict, we respect the jury's verdict," Bassett said, according to KEYE/CBS Austin.
Tucker's Law Put To The Test
The trial became one of the higher-profile Williamson County cases as prosecutors pursued a tougher line on fentanyl-related deaths, an approach that allows murder charges when a distributed dose proves fatal. The case drew a large jury pool and intense local attention as jurors weighed whether the state proved Haynes knowingly delivered a deadly dose. Prosecutors say he gave McMeekin a counterfeit Percocet pill laced with fentanyl, as detailed by FOX 7 Austin.
Legal Stakes And Local Fallout
Under Texas law, murder is a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison, a range that applies when prosecutors link fentanyl distribution to a death, according to the Texas statutes. The conviction adds to a string of high-profile fentanyl prosecutions in Williamson County and the region and has renewed calls from grieving families and advocates for more education and enforcement, according to reporting by the Houston Chronicle.
Haynes is scheduled to be sentenced at the Williamson County Justice Center on April 14. Court filings and statements from prosecutors or defense counsel after that hearing will determine the next steps in the case.
