A 40-year-old Lubbock man was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison after admitting to providing fentanyl pills that caused a woman's overdose death two years ago.
Donnie Ford Jr.
, who has been had at the Lubbock County Detention Center since his Oct. 10, 2024 arrest, pleaded guilty to a count of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance, namely fentanyl, causing death or serious bodily injury.The charge is a second-degree felony, which carries a punishment of two to 20 years in prison.
However, Ford was initially charged with murder under a 2024 addition to the law that exposes fentanyl dealers to the first-degree felony charge.
As part of the plea deal with the Lubbock County District Attorney's Office, the murder charge was dismissed.
Ford will have to serve a fourth of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Investigating an overdose death at a Lubbock home
His charge stems from a Lubbock police investigation that began Sept. 17, 2024, after officers responding to a 7:25 a.m. call at a home in the 5800 block of 15th Street where a 38-year-old woman found in her bathtub unresponsive and cold to the touch.
Her right hand still clutched a blue lighter, according to court documents.
Medics pronounced the woman dead shortly after.
Investigators found two fentanyl pills wrapped in aluminum foil and evidence that she likely died from a fentanyl overdose by crushing a fentanyl pill into a powder that she vaporized after placing the substance over a piece of aluminum foil that she heated with a lighter and inhaled the fumes.
An autopsy report about a month later indicated the woman died from the "toxic effects of fentanyl and alcohol," court documents state.
Meanwhile, a search of the woman's phone revealed she contacted Ford the night before to order the fentanyl pills.
Ford responded saying he would leave the drugs in her mailbox wrapped in foil, court documents state.
Investigators also found Facebook messages between the woman and Ford.
An undercover officer used the woman's phone to arrange another fentanyl delivery with Ford, who agreed to the deal but said he needed to contact his supplier.
After finalizing the transaction, undercover officers traveled to Ford's residence where he arranged to hand off the drugs and arrested him when he exited his home.
He had in his possession three fentanyl pills wrapped in aluminum foil, according to court documents.
Ford was placed in the back of a patrol vehicle where he waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators.
Ford admitted to acting as a middle man between the woman and his supplier, which he refused to identify, according to court documents.
He said the woman gave him the money for four fentanyl pills and he kept one pill for himself.
Prosecutor Russell Mayne said the decision to abandon the murder charge and pursue the second-degree felony charge came after considering what he believed the purpose of the new law, which came into effect about two weeks before Ford's arrest.
"That statute was really designed to go after drug kingpins," he said. "The guys that are moving tons of weight and causing lots of deaths ... So that's to get the people that are hiding the fentanyl in the drugs and things like that."
He said the investigation showed the woman knew she was buying fentanyl and that Ford sold her fentanyl to feed his own addiction.
"After looking through the case file and going through other things, speaking with the victim's family, we felt that the best charge was manufacturing or delivery (of a controlled substance) causing death and Mr. Ford was sentenced to the maximum sentence on that charge," he said.
Ford's attorney, Nick Olguin, said he believed the charge and punishment to which his client pleaded appropriately addresses his client's conduct.
"I think the fact that the legislators decided to make the delivery of fentanyl a murder case makes it kind of like a strict liability case," he said. "I don't think that's really fair. I think there is an element of personal responsibility from the victim in this case and I think this is a just outcome."
Victim's mother responds to fentanyl death sentencing
After entering his plea, Lubbock County First Assistant District Attorney Mandi Say read a victim impact statement from the woman's mother.
She said Ford's actions ripped her family apart and left an emptiness in their lives.
"I grieve not only for the years I have lost with my daughter," she wrote. "She will never get the chance to watch her daughter grow up. She will never see her graduate; she will miss birthdays and all other important milestones in her life. She will never be there to comfort her or tell her how much she loves her."
She said while Ford's conviction and punishment won't bring her daughter back, holding him accountable for his actions may help them move forward.
"I hope that my daughter's death serves as a reminder that providing drugs to another person can have consequences far beyond that moment. A decision that may take only seconds can leave families devastated for generations," she wrote.
Gabriel Monte is the criminal justice reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas. Have a news tip for him? Email him at gmonte@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock man sentenced to 20 years for woman's fentanyl overdose death
