Jacksonville, Florida - U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard today sentenced Trumaine “Lucky" Muller (34, Orange Park) to life in federal prison for distributing a lethal dose of fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of an 18-year old woman.
A federal jury had found Muller guilty on Jan. 16, 2019. The jury also convicted Muller of other felony drug offenses and for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on November 9, 2016, at approximately 10:30 pm, Muller sold heroin (which was actually fentanyl) to Christopher Williams and Tyler Hamilton. Williams and Hamilton provided a portion of the substance to “A.B.," an 18-year old female. A.B., a first time opiate user, snorted what she believed was a small dose of heroin. However, the substance that Muller had sold was fentanyl, which caused the death of A.B. at approximately 4:45 am on Nov. 10, 2016.
On Jan. 31, 2017, during the ensuing investigation into A.B.’s death, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office made a controlled purchase of heroin and furanylfentanyl from Muller. On February 8, 2017, during the execution of a search warrant, officers seized furanylfentanyl and a loaded revolver from an apartment in Clay County where Muller had been living.
Christopher Williams and Tyler Hamilton previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter in state court.
“Families and communities have been ravaged by the opioid epidemic. I commend law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their skillful investigation and prosecution of Trumaine Muller for the overdose death of AB," said State Attorney Melissa Nelson.
“We appreciate the hard work of everyone involved in this. This is truly teamwork at its finest," stated Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels.
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tysen Duva.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
