An El Paso man is the first person in West Texas to be convicted and sentenced to prison under a state law that allows drug dealers selling fentanyl to be charged with murder in an overdose death.
Eric Robles, 46, pleaded guilty to one count each of murder and manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance in the 2024 death of 49-year-old Jesus Ruben Hernandez, who died inside the Downtown El Paso County jail, District Attorney James Montoya announced in a news release.
Judge Ben Ivey of the 210th District Court sentenced Robles to 18 years in prison on the murder count and 15 years in prison for the manufacture/delivery charge. The sentences will run concurrently.
Robles pleaded guilty and was sentenced during a Monday, Sept. 14, hearing at the
Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso.
Robles' sentencing comes as part of a plea agreement with the district attorney's office. First Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Tarango prosecuted the case for the district attorney's office.
"Fentanyl continues to be a deadly scourge throughout the nation," Montoya said in a statement. "Eric Robles chose to distribute a deadly drug for his own benefit, and that choice cost Jesus Hernandez his life. If you choose to traffic in deadly controlled substances, and you cause someone else’s death, our office will use every law available to hold you accountable."
Robles was the first person charged with murder in West Texas in April 2025 under Texas House Bill 6, a 2023 law that allows murder charges to be filed against those who manufacture, deliver or supply fentanyl that results in a fatal overdose. He is now the first person convicted under that law in West Texas.
Inmate dies of fentanyl overdose at Downtown El Paso jail
Detention officers were conducting a "physical check for feeding" about 4:20 a.m. on May 23, 2024, on the third floor of the jail when they found Hernandez unconscious and not breathing, according to a custodial death report filed with the Texas Attorney General's Office. The jail is operated by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
Officers and medical staff performed CPR on Hernandez. He was taken to the Las Palmas Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed Hernandez died from a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system, the news release states.
The death came after Robles was arrested on May 16, 2024, at the Ysleta Port of Entry on a federal arrest warrant for conspiracy to possess a controlled substance.
Robles was booked into the El Paso County jail and housed in the same cell block as Hernandez. Robles remained there until he was moved on May 23, 2024, to a federal detention center in Sierra Blanca, Texas.
Officers found a package containing more than 25 grams of fentanyl hidden inside Robles’ body the same day he was moved to Sierra Blanca. Prosecutors argued Hernandez died from fentanyl given to him by Robles.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso man gets 18 years in West Texas' first fentanyl murder case
