WFPD arrests two for fentanyl-related murder

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - Officials with the Wichita Falls Police Department announced Friday the arrests of two people they say were involved in a fentanyl-related murder.

22-year-old Leigha Smith and 21-year-old Jasinto Jimenez, both of Wichita Falls, were charged with murder after reportedly supplying the victim with counterfeit pills containing Fentanyl, which subsequently caused the death of the victim.

Officers responded to the United Regional ER on July 15, 2022, to investigate a fatal overdose victim who had arrived by a private vehicle. 21-year-old Andres Diaz of Wichita Falls was pronounced deceased that morning, and he was reportedly taken to the hospital by Smith.

Court documents state Smith drove Diaz to Jimenez’s house where Jimenez sold the pair two pills appearing to be Percocet. Smith and Diaz then reportedly drove to another location and ingested the pills. An arrest affidavit states Diaz stopped breathing while in the passenger seat of Smith’s car, so she took him to a hospital.

An autopsy report indicated the cause of Diaz’s death was the toxic effect of fentanyl.

Police searched Jimenez’s home on June 29, 2022, and reportedly found a fentanyl pill resembling Percocet. Court documents state Jimenez later admitted the pill was his, and that he was selling fentanyl pills to pay for his own habit.

Smith remains jailed in Wichita County on a $500,000 bond, while Jimenez remains jailed on a $1 million bond. Jimenez also has an additional $20,500 in bonds for other charges, including unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance, manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, and criminal trespass.

Fentanyl-related stories: