A Jefferson County, Missouri man admitted on July 20 to supplying drugs that resulted in another man’s death in 2024. Daryn Joshua Odell Karnes, 21, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents, Karnes drove to a home in Jefferson County on January 5 and sold $100 worth of capsules containing fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine to a couple. The woman had previously purchased fentanyl from him. The couple did not have enough money for the drugs and wrapped a $1 bill around paper to make it appear as if it was a wad of currency. The male later overdosed and died from intoxication involving fentanyl, heroin, and xylazine. Under the plea agreement, Karnes agreed that the male would not have died but for the fentanyl provided by him. First responders found seven remaining capsules at the scene.
The transaction was arranged through Karnes’ “Luh Daryn” account on Facebook. Afterward, he demanded full payment from the male victim and told a third party that both victims would get “hurt” for not paying for the drugs.
Karnes is scheduled for sentencing on November 17; he faces up to 20 years in prison under federal law.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Mohsen Pasha is prosecuting it. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri investigates and prosecutes federal crimes—including drug offenses—and enforces civil rights across its jurisdiction of 49 counties using courthouses such as the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis and Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S. Courthouse in Cape Girardeau; it operates under the United States Department of Justice and works with local entities to prevent crime and improve quality of life, according to its official website.