Elijah James Perez, 21, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison today for his involvement in the distribution of fentanyl that led to the death of an Abilene man, identified as J.W. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton.
Perez had pleaded guilty in September 2023 to charges of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in death or serious bodily injury. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
Court documents revealed that on February 11, 2022, Perez sold fentanyl to J.W. On the following day, J.W. was discovered nonresponsive in his bed. Despite attempts to resuscitate him for 40 minutes, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initially, witnesses informed law enforcement that they believed J.W. had ingested Percocet. However, an autopsy later confirmed that J.W. died due to the toxic effects of fentanyl.
According to the plea papers, Perez confessed that he had offered to sell J.W. "5 percs" approximately three days before the victim's death. The transaction occurred outside J.W.'s home around 10 p.m., where J.W. purchased the pills, unaware they contained fentanyl.
Minutes after taking the pills, J.W. texted his girlfriend, expressing that the "percs" he received were "hella strong." Tragically, J.W. succumbed to an overdose later that night.
The investigation into the case was conducted jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Office and the Abilene Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Tusing prosecuted the case, leading to Perez's conviction and subsequent 30-year prison sentence.
