A 34-year-old Arlington woman has been convicted of murder in Tarrant County under a new Texas law targeting fentanyl-related deaths.
Prosecutors said Amanda Russell was on probation when she sold fentanyl-laced pills to a 33-year-old victim on November 2, 2023. The victim overdosed and died at an Arlington hotel shortly after taking the pills.
Under the Texas statute passed to combat the growing fentanyl crisis, individuals who manufacture or distribute fentanyl that causes another person’s death can be charged with murder. Russell was found guilty of both murder and violating her probation.
A jury sentenced her to a total of 12 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Arlington Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Michael Ferry and Grayson Ezzell.
