A man accused of selling the fentanyl that killed two coworkers in 2023 has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. Angel Esparza's sentencing closes out a nearly two-year investigation that began when detectives found one of the victims dead in his Lee's Summit home, with drug paraphernalia containing traces of fentanyl nearby.
The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office announced the sentencing, tracing the case back to 2023, when the two coworkers died from fentanyl overdoses. As reported by FOX4KC, detectives who searched the first victim's Lee's Summit home found paraphernalia bearing traces of fentanyl, along with messages between the two victims that pointed to fentanyl use. A second victim was later found dead in his Belton home.
Investigators leaned on digital evidence to connect Esparza to both deaths. Cash App records and Facebook messages showed Esparza sold fentanyl to the second victim, according to the station's report, and he had sold that victim fentanyl just one night before the first victim died. Separate Facebook messages indicated Esparza had been selling fentanyl to others as well, the outlet reported.
From Murder Charge to Manslaughter Plea
When Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson's office formally charged Esparza in October 2025, he faced second-degree felony murder, first-degree involuntary manslaughter, and delivery of a controlled substance, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office. At the time those charges were filed, Esparza was already serving a prison sentence in the Kansas Department of Corrections on an unrelated conviction, the prosecutor's office said. It remains unclear whether his new eight-year Missouri sentence will run concurrently or consecutively with that existing Kansas term, a detail the prosecutor's office has not addressed.
The eventual resolution — two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter carrying an eight-year sentence — reflects a common pattern in Missouri drug-death cases, where murder charges get negotiated down to Class C felonies. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 565.024, first-degree involuntary manslaughter carries three to 10 years in prison per count, according to the Revised Statutes of Missouri. By contrast, Missouri's fentanyl trafficking statute is notably strict: distributing more than 10 milligrams of the drug triggers a Class B felony, while second-degree possession or transport is treated separately; qualifying first-degree trafficking convictions require 85% of the sentence be served before parole eligibility, per Rose Legal Services.
A Task Force Built for Cases Like This
The investigation into the Lee's Summit and Belton deaths was carried out over nearly two years by the Jackson County Drug Task Force, a unit made up of detectives from 12 police departments and funded more than 90% by Jackson County COMBAT. The Esparza case itself involved electronic financial records like Cash App transactions and social media messaging histories that linked him to the victims.
That task force has been busy. Between 2022 and 2025, it seized 42,871 grams of fentanyl, which local authorities calculated represents more than 21.4 million potentially lethal doses, according to Jackson County COMBAT. The Esparza case fits a broader pattern of aggressive fentanyl prosecutions across the Kansas City metro, including a Liberty man Hoodline reported was recently sentenced to 10 years after a fentanyl chase.
Overdose Numbers Show Mixed Signs
Even as enforcement ramps up, regional public health data shows some improvement. Total drug-involved fatalities across Greater Kansas City's four core counties fell 10% in 2024 to 402 deaths, according to data compiled by MIMH Addiction Science. Still, overdose deaths remain a serious concern in Jackson County and Missouri.
In response, harm-reduction tools such as naloxone and fentanyl test strips are intended to prevent fatal poisonings before they happen. The approach pairs criminal prosecutions like Esparza's with harm-reduction tools meant to keep more Jackson County residents from becoming the next overdose statistic.
