An 18-year-old is dead, a 16-year-old survived an overdose, and a Harris County man is now accused of supplying the powder fentanyl investigators say connected both cases. Avery Williams, 30, was arrested Tuesday and charged with murder by fentanyl delivery.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation into Williams began January 10, according to Click2Houston. Authorities allege he provided fentanyl to a group of teenage boys, leading to the death of 18-year-old Logan Ricks.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said on X that HIDTA Group 1, sheriff’s detectives and the Tomball Police Department Task Force arrested Williams Tuesday. Williams is accused of murder by fentanyl delivery, but the charge remains an allegation unless proven in court.
Investigators Allege Powder Fentanyl Reached Teenagers
As reported by Click2Houston, the 16-year-old also overdosed but survived after being taken for medical treatment. The sheriff’s office has not publicly identified that teenager.
The publicly described case involves one alleged delivery and two vastly different outcomes: Ricks died, while another teenager survived. Investigators have not released additional details about where the fentanyl was obtained or how the teenagers encountered Williams.
Texas Law Allows Murder Charges In Some Fentanyl Deaths
Under Texas Penal Code Section 19.02, a person can face a murder charge if prosecutors prove the person knowingly manufactured or delivered a qualifying controlled substance and someone died after using it. The statute classifies the offense as a first-degree felony.
The provision was added to the state’s murder statute in 2023, putting fentanyl-related death cases on a more serious legal footing than a routine drug-delivery prosecution. Prosecutors would still have to prove the required elements, including the alleged delivery and the connection between the substance and the death.
Houston-Area Fentanyl Cases Continue To Reach Court
The Harris County case comes amid a continuing stream of death-linked fentanyl prosecutions in the Houston area. In January, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said Houston resident Antonio Curo pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills that killed a 16-year-old Houston girl and a 24-year-old Connecticut man, in a separate federal case.
Williams has been accused, not convicted. His arrest marks the latest Harris County case in which investigators are pursuing a murder charge tied to an alleged fentanyl delivery and an overdose death.
