Tyler man charged in fentanyl overdose death of 17-year-old

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - A Tyler man has been indicted in the 2022 death of a teen who overdosed on fentanyl-laced drugs.

Billy Maddox Jr., 27, of Tyler, has been indicted for manslaughter in the overdose death of a 17-year-old. An arrest affidavit for Maddox said that the teen’s toxicology report showed fentanyl in his system among other drugs. An indictment document said that Maddox recklessly caused the death of the teen one or more of the following ways:

He provided pills which he knew contained different substances than he claimed.

He failed to render aid when it was clear that the teen needed help.

He failed to call for help when it was clear that the teen needed it.

He delayed the teen’s transport to a hospital when the teen clearly needed medical assistance.

The indictment said that in this way, Maddox used the laced drugs as a deadly weapon which killed the 17-year-old victim. The arrest affidavit said Maddox made an Instagram post with a photo of the teen passed out on his stomach, captioned “Look how that perc got him sleeping,” with several laughing emojis.

The indictment also said that the penalty range for the charge will be higher because of Maddox’s criminal record. The man was arrested in 2014 for possession of a controlled substance, and again in 2018 for possession of a firearm by a felon.

Maddox has been charged with manslaughter, and is being held in the Smith County Jail on a $200,000 bond.

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