Man faces murder charge in connection with fentanyl death for the first time in Tarrant County
TARRANT COUNTY - For the first time in Tarrant County, a man is facing a murder charge in connection with a fentanyl death.
It comes after state law changed this summer to allow for murder charges and just weeks after Tarrant County's district attorney created a new unit to focus on narcotics cases.
Brandon Harrison's death three months ago from a pill he didn't know was made with fentanyl was the kind of case that used to be chalked up as an accident, an overdose.
But Tuesday, the man already facing charges for selling Brandon Harrison the pill was the subject of a new arrest warrant. This time for murder.
"Joy, kind of a, kind of a sense of relief a little bit," said Richard Harrison, whose son, Brandon, died from fentanyl. "It was uh, a little bit of justice, maybe, that is going to be served."
Richard Harrison said he had been checking every day for the charge against Jacob Lindsay, the first of its kind in Tarrant County, since governor Greg Abbott signed a bill in June, allowing prosecutors to pursue murder in fentanyl deaths.
"The message it sends to the dope dealers is, we're coming for you," said Sgt. Scott Barnes, with the Fort Worth Police Department's Fentanyl Overdose Response Team. "Stop selling fentanyl or you're going to get hooked up for murder."
Barnes said it finally gives law enforcement some teeth to fight the epidemic.
His unit is working three deaths a week, just in Fort Worth.
Murder charges in more cases are expected, and the district attorney's office now has a dedicated team focusing on the cases.
"There's so many kids dying who don't deserve to die," said Richard Harrison.
Brandon Harrison was one of those, his father said. He was working hard to overcome his addictions, but his death also inspired another part of the solution.
His brother Blake Harrison is in training to work with Dallas police, and his father said he now intends to become a narcotics officer.
"He's going to 100% make a difference and try to get these guys off the street as well," Richard Harrison said. "They're saving kids' lives, and I mean, what's that worth, can you put a dollar amount on that? You can't."
The murder charge is still expected to go before a grand jury.
In a lot of narcotics arrests though, Barnes said it's frustrating to see people they arrest back on the streets in a few days.
With this murder charge, Jacob Lindsay can't bail out tonight.
