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Tomball man charged with fentanyl murder, took woman to ER before her death

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Published  December 3, 2024 5:41pm CST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 26 Houston

The Brief

    • Eric Sembera, 26, was charged with fentanyl murder by delivery for causing the death of Erica Russell after the 24-year-old was found dead in her apartment.
    • According to court documents, Sembera told investigators he took Russell to the emergency room the night he gave her the drug after he noticed she became unresponsive.
    • Sembera admitted to police he regularly smoked Fentanyl and confessed they would find paraphernalia in his home and vehicle.

TOMBALL, Texas - Eric Sembera has been arrested for allegedly causing a woman's death by delivering her fentanyl after she was found dead in her apartment in August. The 26-year-old is charged with fentanyl murder by delivery.

Sembera is accused of giving 24-year-old Erica Russell a deadly amount of fentanyl which caused her to be admitted into the emergency room before she died.

Court documents state Tomball Police Department officials were called to a welfare check on Russell after she did not show up to work and was not answering calls on Aug. 4. When officers arrived at her apartment at 29807 Tomball Parkway, she was found dead inside.

RELATED: Suspect in Houston fentanyl death arrested, sold 105 grams of fentanyl after victim's overdose

Investigators learned Russell was out with Sembera the night of Aug. 2, and they drove together to Little Woodrow’s. Before they arrived, Sembera said he asked Russell if she wanted to do a bump. He told officers she hesitated at first and when he asked again because they were about to pull into the parking lot, ‘she finally was just like, okay whatever, do it. And so I pulled out a little bit and dropped it on her phone’, he told police.

Eric James Sembera

Later on, the 26-year-old claims he told Russell it was fentanyl he was going to take.

After arriving at Little Woodrow's the two stayed at the bar with a friend until closing. At some point in the night after arriving back at Russell's apartment, Sembera said he noticed she was nodding off and not responding. He began giving her mouth-to-mouth while driving to an emergency room. A security guard at the ER also noticed the narcotics in the car and notified officers.

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When Russell woke up, Sembera said she told him she wanted to leave and eventually got out of bed, pulled the IV out of her arm and said, "let's go." After they left, the 26-year-old said he dropped Russell off at her apartment.

Investigators said they searched Sembera's home and vehicle, while he confessed to officers he smoked fentanyl everyday with his girlfriend, and they would find paraphernalia during their search.

Sembera was arrested without incident on Nov. 26 and was taken to Tomball Police Department jail.

The Source: FOX 26 obtained a charging document from Harris County District Court detailing the evidence and investigation against Eric Sembera.