Leander man facing murder charge in 2024 fentanyl-related death in Austin
Stephen Tamayo (Williamson County Jail)
AUSTIN, Texas - A Leander man is being charged with murder for a fentanyl-related death in North Austin in 2024.
What we know:
The Austin Police Department says that 40-year-old Stephen Tamayo has been charged with murder in the August 2024 death of 47-year-old Ryan Luper.
Officers responded on August 7, 2024 to a check welfare call at 4312 Acropolis Court. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive man, later identified as Luper.
Luper was pronounced dead that night.
The Travis County Medical Examiner's Office later determined that his cause of death was from the "toxic effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine," says APD. An subsequent investigation led to an arrest warrant issued for Tamayo.
APD says this is the fourth such murder charge filed by APD since Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 6 into law in June 2023. HB 6 allows for people who distribute or manufacture fentanyl that results in death to be prosecuted for murder.
Dig deeper:
Tamayo is currently being held in the Williamson County Jail on a collective $1,040,000 bond for the murder charge and a theft charge with two or more previous convictions from 2024.
He also appears to have a very extensive criminal history in Williamson County according to county jail records, including multiple theft charges, criminal trespass, burglary, drug possession charges, and traffic violations.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Austin Police Department and Williamson County jail records.