Samantha Martinez, 35, of El Campo, Texas, has been arrested and charged with murder after a fentanyl-related overdose death near El Campo in February. Wharton County deputies received information that Martinez, a wanted fugitive, was traveling near Wharton, and they conducted a felony takedown traffic stop near U.S. Highway 59 and FM 961.
Martinez is the first person in Wharton County to face a murder charge under a state law passed in 2023. The law holds individuals accountable for drug-related deaths if they manufacture or deliver a substance that causes a fatal overdose. Martinez is currently in the Wharton County Jail, with bond set at $300,000.
