Shane Antwan Dominick, 29, of Harker Heights, was arrested by US Marshals on April 1, 2024, in Killeen, Texas, on a murder warrant related to the death of 20-year-old Richard Willess of Belton. Willess died on October 20, 2023, from a fentanyl overdose. The arrest marks the first murder charge in Bell County under a new law targeting fentanyl dealers.
Belton Police Department, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, conducted an investigation into Willess's death, which led to the identification of Dominick as the dealer who sold the fatal pills. Dominick was initially arrested on November 17, 2023, by a joint SWAT team for possession of over 50 grams of fentanyl and admitted during a jail interview to selling pills containing fentanyl to Willess.
The Bell County District Attorney’s Office accepted the murder charge on April 1, 2024, following a new murder statute enacted in September that allows for murder charges against drug dealers whose clients die from consuming fentanyl. Dominick was already out on bond for the previous charge of fentanyl sale and distribution at the time of his arrest for murder. He was transported to Bell County Jail after his arrest.
