TUCSON, Ariz. — A Tucson man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling fentanyl pills that resulted in a teenage girl's death.
Thomas F. Wilson, 29, was sentenced in federal court last week after pleading guilty to distributing fentanyl in relation to the death of a 17-year-old.
In April 2021, Wilson sold 13 pills to the girl and her friend after setting up the transaction through Facebook, records show. The defendant then drove to Sells to deliver the drugs.
The girls smoked the pills and fell asleep. One of them did not wake up.
Lab testing confirmed the pills contained fentanyl and an autopsy concluded the girl died from fentanyl intoxication.
Investigators reviewed Wilson's Facebook account and reviewed messages he exchanged with someone after the fatal overdose. The messages reportedly showed the two discussing the girl's death and where it happened, court records show.
“Nawh yea I know where..It’s all bad for me. It’s whatever now," the defendant wrote in a message. "Like seriously it’s only a matter of time hah."
Wilson will be placed on supervised release for five years following his prison sentence.
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.