Woman sentenced in Collin County’s first fentanyl murder case
Collin County woman gets 25 years for fentanyl murder
This week, Collin County had its first murder conviction under a new law aimed at targeting the people who deal fentanyl. FOX 4's Peyton Yager talked to the mother of the 17-year-old victim who attended McKinney High School.
McKINNEY, Texas - A Collin County family is feeling a sense of peace after the woman who gave their teenage son fentanyl was convicted of murder.
It’s the first murder conviction in Collin County under a new law aimed at targeting people who deal the highly potent drug.
Mitchell Pultz’s Fentanyl Death
The backstory:
Lindsay Pultz’s son, Mitchel, died from a fentanyl overdose on Sept. 18, 2023.
The 17-year-old McKinney High School student had a passion for sports. But behind the curtain, he was struggling with a drug addiction.
"To be honest, we didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know where to go. We didn’t know how to get help," his mother said.
The Pultzs tried counseling, inpatient facilities, and outpatient facilities.
Then one day, Mitchel contacted 20-year-old Ciana Armour through Instagram and purchased what ended up being a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Ciana Armour’s Murder Conviction
What we know:
Armour was arrested and charged with murder.
She pleaded guilty to the charge, making her case the first fentanyl murder conviction in Collin County under a new state law.
Prosecutors can pursue murder charges when someone dies as a result of fentanyl distribution.
Armour was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
What they're saying:
This week, Pultz walked out of the Collin County courthouse with a sense of peace.
"The stress has stopped. The constantly checking the status of the case has stopped," she said.
She admits that she had hoped for a longer sentence, but the plea deal did remove some uncertainty.
"We didn’t have to deal with a trial. We didn’t have to deal with appeals or, being the first case, how is the jury going to look at it or think about it," she said.
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Instead, one of the last things Armour heard before her jail time started was Pultz’s impact statement in the courtroom.
Pultz said over the last year, the tone in her script changed from anger to showing more grace, hoping instead that Mitchel’s 17 years of life will be remembered.
"I do think we got justice. I am very grateful. There is a lot of families in the same spot and they didn’t have a detective look into it," she said. "We want people to see and hopefully change their mind dealing drugs. And dealing with fentanyl. It’s not going to be a tiny drug charge anymore, it’s going to be more than that."
What's next:
Armour’s sentence is 25 years.
However, she will be eligible for parole in 12.5 years.
Pultz plans to be there for that hearing.
The Source: FOX 4's Peyton Yager talked to Lindsay Pultz to gather details for this story. Additional information comes from Ciana Armour's plea agreement and the Collin County District Attorney's Office.