An 18-year-old is dead and a Harris County man faces a murder charge after a seven-month investigation linked him to the powdered fentanyl that killed the teen in January.

Avery Williams, 30, was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 5, and charged with murder by fentanyl delivery in connection with the death of Logan Ricks, 18, and the near-fatal overdose of a 16-year-old boy, the Harris County Sheriff's Office announced. The Tomball Police Department Task Force assisted in the arrest, placing the investigation squarely in northwest Harris County.

The case dates to Jan. 10, when HCSO's specialized drug-trafficking unit, known as HIDTA Group 1, opened an investigation after Williams allegedly provided powdered fentanyl to a group of teenage males. Ricks died from the overdose. The 16-year-old survived after being transported to a hospital, according to Click2Houston.

Detectives spent roughly seven months tracing the drug supply back to Williams before making the arrest.

Murder under Texas's fentanyl law

Williams is charged under Texas Penal Code 19.02(b)(4), established by House Bill 6, which took effect Sept. 1, 2023. The law allows prosecutors to pursue murder charges when a person knowingly delivers fentanyl and someone dies as a result. It does not require proof that the defendant intended to cause death. A conviction carries five to 99 years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

"The Texas law creating a murder charge for fentanyl delivery took effect in 2023, and these investigations are among the most complex we undertake," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in announcing the arrest. Gonzalez called fentanyl extraordinarily lethal and said every case represents a family whose life has been changed forever.

A deadly trend in Harris County

The arrest comes amid a persistent fentanyl crisis across the county. More than 3,000 deaths involved opioids in Harris County between 2020 and 2024, with 74% involving fentanyl, according to Harris County Public Health data reported by Houstonia Magazine in July. A separate HCPH report found substance-related deaths in the county rose 74.9% between 2018 and 2022, climbing from 673 to 1,177.

No bond information or court date for Williams has been announced.

The case remains under investigation.