Dallas man sentenced to 38 years in Collin County's first fentanyl murder conviction under new Texas law
A 27-year-old Dallas man has been sentenced for murder in the death of a young woman who overdosed on fentanyl, Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced Tuesday.
Gregory Noah Honesty, 27, will spend 38 years in prison.
The investigation began in November 2023, when Collin County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to an overdose call in Blue Ridge, Texas, according to a news release.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they found a woman unresponsive and, despite being given multiple doses of Narcan, she was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
The news release states that both drug paraphernalia and fentanyl pills were found at the scene.
Phone records, social media lead to Honesty's arrest
Investigators used phone records, Instagram messages, Cash App transactions and cellphone location data to piece together what happened before the victim's death, officials said in the news release.
The data showed messages to set up a transaction and payment from the victim to Honesty.
Also, according to the news release, location data tracked the victim traveling from Collin County to a Dallas spot that was sent from Honesty.
Officials said following the sale of fentanyl, the victim drove back to her home in Blue Ridge, where she was later found dead less than 24 hours after the fentanyl transaction.
First-ever murder conviction under new Texas fentanyl law
Collin County officials said Honesty's conviction marked the county's first under Texas's new law allowing fentanyl delivery resulting in death to be prosecuted as murder.
Ahead of Honesty's sentencing, testimony revealed that he'd been dealing drugs since 2017, and even continued selling fentanyl following his arrest and his posting bond in May of 2024.
Honesty was arrested again in Grayson County on five new drug charges, and his bond was revoked in September of 2024, where he remained in custody leading up to his trial for the victim's death.
"This case puts fentanyl dealers on notice," DA Willis said in a statement. "While no sentence can bring this promising young woman back, this conviction sends a clear message: if you deal fentanyl and someone dies, you will be prosecuted for murder. This is how we protect our community and hold poison peddlers accountable."
