Man charged with murder in connection with fentanyl-related death: APD
Jose Martinez, 54
AUSTIN, Texas - A man was arrested and charged with murder in connection with a fentanyl death back in June, police said.
This is being investigated as Austin's 44th homicide.
Fentanyl death in Austin
The backstory:
Police said on June 24, around 12:23 p.m., officers responded to an urgent welfare check at 101 Brushy Street, a construction site. The 911 caller said a person was found unresponsive in a port-o-potty.
When officers arrived, CPR was attempted, but the person died at the scene. He was later identified as Luis Gerardo Cancel-Vargas.
An autopsy was performed and the cause of death was found to be the toxic effects of fentanyl, hydroxyzine, methocarbamol and trazadone.
Police said the investigation showed Cancel-Vargas died as a result of the drugs given to him by Jose Antonio Martinez, 54.
Timeline:
On Sept. 30, an arrest warrant was issued for Martinez for murder.
On Oct. 5, he was taken into custody and booked into the Travis County Jail.
The Source: Information from an Austin Police Department press release on Oct. 7