Lubbock Man First Charged With Murder in Local Fentanyl Overdose Case

A guy in Lubbock who was already in jail is now being charged with murder. This is the first time that a suspected drug dealer in Lubbock has been charged with murder in connection with a fentanyl overdose death.

EverythingLubbock.com got court papers that showed 38-year-old Donnie Ford Jr. was officially charged with murder on Thursday while being held at the Lubbock County Detention Center. Ford has been in jail since October 2024, but he is now being charged with causing a 38-year-old woman to overdose and die in September 2024.

Records show that on September 17, 2024, Lubbock police went to a house in the 5800 block of 15th Street and found a woman unconscious in a bathtub. At the scene, police found two small blue pills on a piece of paper. Ford was seen through the victim's phone, which had notes that said he sold her fentanyl pills just hours before she died.

Later, police used the victim's phone to set up a controlled meet-up with Ford. During this time, Ford was held. They said they found him with pills that tested positive for fentanyl. An autopsy showed that the woman died because of the harmful effects of fentanyl and booze together.

This is the first time that we know of that a Lubbock drug dealer has been charged with murder under a law that went into effect in 2023 and lets prosecutors bring murder charges in cases of fentanyl overdose deaths.

The Lubbock Police Department said in a statement, "This case is a big step toward holding those accountable who choose to make money off of the deadly distribution of fentanyl in our community." The Lubbock Police Department is still determined to investigate and seek justice in deaths linked to fentanyl aggressively.

Besides being charged with murder, Ford is also being charged with domestic abuse, traffic violations, and possession with intent to deliver. He is still in the Lubbock County Detention Center because his bond has now reached $230,000.

Ford's arrest shows a growing trend in Texas and across the country: law enforcement is trying to stop the fentanyl problem by going after dealers who are linked to fatal overdoses with harsher punishments.

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