Houston father charged with murder by fentanyl delivery in 2023 overdose of 27-year-old daughter

A Houston man was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder after he allegedly delivered fentanyl to his daughter in 2023 that resulted in her fatal overdose. 

Witnesses identified Joshua Youngblood, 45, delivering white powder to his daughter, Jade Youngblood, who later died from a combination of fentanyl, alcohol and alprazolam, the active ingredient in Xanax, court records alleged. A judge set Youngblood’s bail at $150,000 early Thursday morning. Youngblood does not have a lawyer listed in court documents.

RISING TREND: Deaths involving substances spiked 75% in Harris County over the last five years, figures show

Youngblood was previously convicted on charges related to the sale of cocaine in 2006, according to court records. He was in custody at Harris County Jail as of Thursday afternoon. 

Houston-area prosecutors only recently began charging people involved with the delivery or sale of fentanyl resulting in a fatal overdose with murder. Garrett Moore, chief of the major narcotics division at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, said in September 2024 that he hoped charges like those filed against Youngblood would help tamp down on the sale of fentanyl.

"Hopefully, people will think twice about dealing fentanyl," Moore said. "As these cases come in and we get more enforcement action and more investigative resources we can put away more of these larger-scale dealers."

The charge against Youngblood came a little over two years after state lawmakers passed House Bill 6, which classified fentanyl-related deaths as "poisonings." The legislation was part of a renewed emphasis on behalf of state leaders to combat the opioid crisis and received widespread bipartisan support. 

PAST DATA: Harris County leads state in fentanyl deaths in 2023, data shows

One of the prosecutions involving fentanyl murder charges in Texas resulted in a plea agreement last October, rather than proceeding to trial.

Michael Barnett was accused in 2023 of supplying drugs that contained fentanyl to a fellow Harris County jail inmate, Christian Rayo, who then died. The plea deal sentenced Barnett to 20 years imprisonment.

According to her obituary, Jade Youngblood graduated from Benjamin O. Davis High School in 2015 and was remembered as a creative and fun-loving woman with a passion for animals and singing. 

"Her life, though short on this earth, impacted many people," her obituary read. "Her infectious smile and unforgettable personality always brought light to every place she entered." 

Nicole Hensley contributed reporting.