Kaeden Farish, a 19-year-old from Azle, became the first individual in Tarrant County sentenced to prison under a new Texas law allowing murder charges in fatal fentanyl cases. On Tuesday, Farish pled guilty to murder and received a 19-year prison sentence after admitting to selling fentanyl-laced pills to a 17-year-old who fatally overdosed on January 20, 2024.
This case marks the first murder conviction in Tarrant County under the recently enacted law, which allows prosecutors to pursue murder charges if someone manufactures or sells fentanyl that results in a death. Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells commented on the significance of the law, saying, "We are working hard to get the people who sell this poison off the streets."
The conviction aligns with the county's intensified focus on drug-related crimes, as Sorrells recently established a specialized unit to handle narcotics cases involving fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and other dangerous drugs. “We are holding people accountable in Tarrant County,” Sorrells stated. “You make it or deal it to someone who dies, we'll charge you with murder.”
The sentencing comes during Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month and highlights the efforts of law enforcement agencies, including the Mid-Cities Drug Task Force and the Bedford Police Department, whose work was essential to the case. State Representative Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, and other Texas lawmakers have supported the new law to combat the rise in fentanyl-related deaths across the state.