Liberty Hill man charged with manslaughter in teen's fentanyl death

A 25-year-old Liberty Hill man has been charged with murder in connection with the fentanyl poisoning death of a Cedar Park resident, the Cedar Park Police Department announced Friday in a statement on social media.

Caleb Comer was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Lone Star Fugitive Task Force on Wednesday after a nearly three-month investigation into the May 2 death of 18-year-old Matthew Wright. Wright had been accepted to study psychology at Texas State University and wanted to use his understanding of struggling with his own mental health to help other people, his obituary said.

The text messages link the suspect to the victim

Detectives were able to connect Comer to Wright when they discovered that Wright had paid him for drugs the night before his death, Comer’s arrest warrant states.

According to the affidavit, the two men had been communicating about drugs since April, discussing various narcotics and their effects. Records say the text messages provided evidence that Comer and Wright took drugs together and that Wright sought Comer’s advice on how much to take to prevent an overdose. Comer replied that he should stop taking “percs” and that he must agree not to inject the drugs, and Wright agreed, records say. “Perc” is oxycodone mixed with fentanyl.

According to the affidavit, on April 26, Wright texted Comer, telling him to stop selling him drugs and saying that Wright was unconscious and woke up with sore legs. Comer agreed to continue smoking marijuana with Wright but not to sell him hard drugs, the document states. On May 1, Wright decided to buy more percs from Comer, and they agreed to meet in a mall parking lot in a part of Austin that is in Williamson County. Wright bought two perc pills, which Comer sold for $20 through a CashApp transaction, the affidavit said.

Wright was found dead in his bed at home after 10:45 a.m. May 2, the affidavit states. His last text message was sent at 4:13 am on the day of his death.

Efforts to target the fentanyl crisis

Comer’s arrest “underscores the ongoing efforts to combat the devastating impact of fentanyl in our communities,” police said in a statement.

Wright’s autopsy found a “fatal” amount of fentanyl in his system at the time of his death, the statement said.

“Fentanyl is stealing far too many lives, and we are dedicated to going after the drug dealers who sell the deadly poison in our communities,” said Cedar Park Police Chief Mike Harmon. “This arrest is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our officers and partners. We will continue to fight this epidemic and bring those responsible to justice.”

Comer is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail at the Williamson County Jail, records show.

Williamson County filed its first fentanyl poisoning charge for murder in February in connection with the death of a 40-year-old man, the American-Statesman previously reported.

Under House Bill 6, which took effect in September and targets the ongoing fentanyl crisis, “fentanyl poisoning” must be listed on a person’s death certificate if the substance is found in a toxicology test. The law established felony charges, including murder, for those found to be distributing or selling the drug fentanyl in connection with the deaths.

“Our mission is to save lives and support families affected by fentanyl poisoning,” said Stefanie Turner, founder of Texas Against Fentanyl. “This case underscores the urgent need for continued vigilance and proactive measures to prevent future tragedies.”

Staff writer Claire Osborn contributed reporting.

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Liberty Hill man charged with manslaughter in teen’s fentanyl death

The text messages link the suspect to the victim

Efforts to target the fentanyl crisis

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