WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — A Williamson County man could spend up to 99 years in prison after allegedly selling fentanyl to a man who later died.
According to post by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office (WCOS), as well as an affidavit obtained by KVUE's media partners at the Austin-American Statesman, Marek Dillard was arrested on Feb. 9 on a first-degree murder warrant. Williamson County confirmed that this was the first time someone in the county has been charged with murder because of an overdose-related death.
The WCSO said on Sept. 21, 2023, the agency's Organized Crime Unit responded to a residence on Snelling Drive in Leander in regard to an alleged overdose death. When deputies arrived, they found a man dead. According to the Statesman, that man was later identified as Remington Allison.
The affidavit stated that a video showed Allison "exhibiting signs of being under the influence of narcotics" that his girlfriend said she had seen him show when he took drugs that contained fentanyl. The affidavit also said the video showed Allison in a "drug-induced daze" before he fell down on a kitchen floor, where he died on Sept. 21.
A search of Allison's phone led to the discovery of a text exchange on Sept. 20 between Allison and a man later identified as Dillard. In the exchange, Dillard told Allison he had 25 "blues" for sale. The affidavit stated that "blues" is a fake name for pills containing fentanyl.
Allison allegedly met with Dillard at a Motel 6 off Interstate 35 North on Sept. 20, according to videos from the motel. Detectives also discovered cash app information that revealed Allison paid Marek for the 25 pills.
Investigators later discovered 13 pills with "M30" printed on them and a white plate with residue on it in Allison's bathroom. Tests revealed the pills and residue contained fentanyl. Alison's autopsy report also showed he died from a fentanyl overdose.
In addition to the first-degree murder charge, Dillard has been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance PG 1 .
House Bill 6
The murder charge Dillard faces was made possible because of a new law that went into effect in Texas on Sept. 1, 2023.
Back in June 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 6, which "creates a criminal offense of murder for supplying fentanyl that results in death, enhances the criminal penalty for the manufacturing or delivery of fentanyl, and requires deaths caused by fentanyl to be designated as fentanyl toxicity or fentanyl poisoning on a death certificate."
He also signed House Bill 3144, House Bill 3908 – also known as "Tucker's Law" – and Senate Bill 867 into affect, all of which also relate to opioids.
Also last June, authorities in Williamson County created the Central Texas Task Force Overdose Investigation Unit to help handle the national opioid epidemic at a more localized level.
Williamson County saw 35 fentanyl-related deaths last year.
To learn more, read the Statesman's full report.