An Abilene man is accused of illegally delivering deadly fentanyl to 33-year-old Megan Jiminez, Abilene police said in a media release Monday.
Tovein Myavier Peterson, 27, was charged with murder and was being held Monday in the Taylor County Jail on a $1 million bond, according to online jail records. Peterson was also being held for an alleged parole violation.
On May 10, the Abilene Police Department responded to a home in the 2100 block of North 18th Street where Jiminez was found dead, the APD said in a media release. Her death was determined to be from a suspected drug overdose. Investigators allege Peterson gave Jiminez the fentanyl that killed her.
After an extensive investigation, the Abilene Police Department Narcotics Unit, assisted by the Taylor County District Attorney’s Office, charged Peterson with murder, police said.
Murder is a first degree felony punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in prison. Anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Fentanyl is a powerful opioid, and while it was synthetically designed for pain relief, its illegal production and distribution has resulted in an opioid overdose crisis across the U.S.
The APD reminds the public of extreme dangers associated with fentanyl and the department’s “continued commitment to aggressively investigating and prosecuting individuals who distribute this deadly substance,” police said.