Suspected drug dealer charged with murder, allegedly sold pills containing fentanyl to victim

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno County District Attorney's Office has announced it will be charging a suspected drug dealer with murder after he sold pills that contained the deadly drug fentanyl.

25-year-old Antwane Dupree Lee is accused of selling some of the pills to 34-year-old Vernisha Latriece Green. Officials say Green was found dead on April 17, the day after the sale.

Lee faces a 2nd-degree murder charge and also drug charges. If convicted, he faces 15 years to life in state prison.

Lee was already in custody at the Fresno County Jail for a violation of his probation. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, May 8.

As of May 7, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's, the total number of fentanyl-related deaths in the county is 26. Last year, there were 94 deaths, a 10 percent decrease year over year.