Man faces 99 years in prison for murder charge involving fentanyl-laced pill
LEANDER, Texas - A Williamson County man is facing 99 years in prison for a murder charge. He’s accused of selling a pill laced with fentanyl to a man who later died.
A sergeant with the undercover unit said they’re working to get dealers of this poison off the streets.
"We will find you, and we will prosecute you," the undercover sergeant said.
MORE: Accused fentanyl dealer charged with murder in Leander
Marek Dillard was found last week and charged with murder and possession of a controlled substance.
Court records said Dillard was texting back and forth with a man named Remington Allison. Dillard texted Allison saying he was at Motel 6 in North Austin. They met up and Allison Cash App transferred $180 to Dillard.
The confirmation email said, "I give U 25 blues." The next day, Allison was found dead at his house in Leander. The cause was fentanyl poisoning.
Marek Dillard
Dillard is facing 99 years in prison. He’s the first person in the county to be charged with murder because of an overdose-related death. This comes after Governor Greg Abbott signed a new law allowing prosecutors to do so.
"We are hoping it sends a message," the undercover sergeant said.
Williamson County reported 35 fentanyl-related deaths last year.
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"We do have multiple overdoses that are NARCAN’d, and then they ultimately live that aren’t necessarily even publicized. We are obviously trying to keep the community informed when we do have one causing death, but there’s so much more going on behind the scenes," the undercover sergeant said.
They’ve created a task force to try to combat this issue. The force consists of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, local police departments, local nonprofits, and even federal agents.
"The task force also allows us to go out of our jurisdiction, that's why it's so wonderful. If there is a dealer, if a death takes us to a dealer in Austin, or Burnet, we can still work those cases, it allows us to continue wherever the case takes us," the undercover sergeant said.
Dillard is being held in the Williamson County Jail on $1.1 million bond.