3 Dallas men sentenced for Wylie teen’s fentanyl death

DALLAS - Three North Texas men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in distributing fentanyl that caused the death of 17-year-old Chance Stovall in January 2024.

The Latest:

Tecose Dchaz Martin, 38, of Mesquite, received a 30-year (360-month) sentence on Monday for distributing the deadly drug.

Connor Miller, 22, of Richardson, was also sentenced Monday to 151 months—roughly 12 years and seven months—for aiding and abetting the distribution of the fentanyl.

Both men had previously pleaded guilty to offenses related to the teen’s death.

Jesse Medina was sentenced to more than 24 years in federal prison in August in connection to the case.

Overdose Death

The backstory:

Chance Stovall, 17, was a junior at Wylie East High School. He died last year after ingesting fentanyl-laced pills with Connor Miller.

According to court documents, the chain of events began on January 30, 2024, when Miller contacted an individual, Jesse Medina, to buy fentanyl pills. Miller then drove with the 17-year-old boy to meet Medina on Harry Hines Boulevard in Dallas, where Medina sold them four fentanyl pills for $40.

Miller and the teenager returned to Miller’s residence, where they crushed and used the pills. The 17-year-old died after ingesting the fentanyl. Medical records confirmed he would not have died but for the drug.

Investigators later used electronic evidence to trace the pills sold by Medina back to Martin, who was identified as a major supplier.

Teen's father reflects on the day

The other side:

Robbie Stovall, Chance's father, described that day.

"Got a knock, knock on my door at five in the morning. Two police officers knocked on the door," he recalled. "Your son overdosed, and he's being rushed at Children's in Dallas.

Chance snuck out of the house to meet someone in Richardson.

The two snorted fentanyl-laced pills. The suspect, 21-year-old Connor Miller, survived; Chance did not.

Court documents say Miller told officers after snorting two pills, "He then nodded off and woke up to juvenile male #1 unconscious on the floor where Miller believed he had overdosed."

Supplier's Role and History

Dig deeper:

Evidence presented in court revealed Martin, who went by the nickname "Blues Man," was a large-scale fentanyl trafficker. He reportedly bought fentanyl pills in bulk, purchasing 1,000 pills at a time for about $1.50 to $1.60 per pill, and then sold them to lower-level dealers like Medina for $2 to $5 per pill.

In one exchange, Martin allegedly told another person, "We can get rich off blues [fentanyl pills]." Court testimony also indicated that Martin preferred selling larger quantities, telling officers he would "rather have someone else deal with" customers who purchased small amounts because he felt there was "more chance of somebody O.D.’ing [overdosing]" for people who buy just four or five pills.

At the time of his arrest, officers found 88 fentanyl pills on Martin’s person, 805 pills in his apartment, and two firearms. Martin had multiple prior drug-related felony convictions, including a 2017 conviction for which he was sentenced to 25 years. He was on parole when he was arrested for selling the fentanyl that led to the teen's death.

Authorities Vow Ongoing Fight

What they're saying:

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson stressed the importance of the sentences.

"Lengthy prison sentences are one step in our continuing fight against the deadly consequences of fentanyl trafficking," Larson said in a statement. "Our efforts won’t stop until the flood of deadly drugs into our community stops."

Joseph B. Tucker, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division, called fentanyl "the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered."

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