Left to right: Erica Russell (KPRC) and Eric Sembera (Harris County Jail).
In Texas, a man, 26, has been arrested for the alleged murder of a woman, 24, by reportedly administering a deadly amount of fentanyl to her. Eric Sembera was apprehended recently and is facing charges of fentanyl-induced murder in the case of Erica Russell as per legal documents examined by Law&Crime.
On the morning of August 4, officers from the Tomball Police Department responded to a welfare check request for Russell at her residence on Tomball Parkway. It was reported that Russell was unresponsive to calls and messages.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Russell was in the company of Sembera on the night of August 2 and did not turn up for work the next day. A colleague informed authorities that Russell had overdosed in the early hours of August 3 and sought treatment for what seemed like a fentanyl overdose at HCA Houston Health Care — Tomball.
Sembera accompanied Russell to the hospital, police wrote in the affidavit, describing him as a “known narcotics user.”
Police made contact with Sembera, who informed them that after the emergency room, he brought Russell back to her apartment sometime in the early morning hours of Aug. 3.
In an interview with police, Sembera allegedly said that after work, he, Russell, and another female co-worker were driving to a bar, and he explained to Russell that he previously had “an addiction problem” involving “Oxy,” according to the affidavit. He then did a “bump” of a white powder narcotic and offered some to Russell, who was hesitant at first.
“Sembera stated ‘[Russell] finally was Just like, okay whatever, do it,”” per the affidavit. “And so I pulled out a little bit and dropped it on her phone,” he allegedly continued, adding it was “straight Fentanyl” that was in “rock and powder form.”
Sembera said they left the bar at around 2 a.m. and went back to Russell’s apartment, where they engaged in sexual intercourse. Afterward, Sembera said they went back out to his car, where Russell suddenly “just stopped talking” and began nodding off until he realized she had become unresponsive. He then said he went into “freak out mode,” performing CPR before driving to the emergency room.
Russell reportedly received treatment, including an IV. When Russell woke up a few hours later, she said, “I don’t want to be here anymore,” and “asked the doctors if she could leave.”
“Sembera stated that Russell was waiting for a while and finally she just jumped out of bed and pulled the IV out of her arm,” per the affidavit. “Sembera stated that Russell said, ‘let’s go.’”
Afterward, Sembera said he dropped Russell back off at her apartment and went straight home, authorities said. He also allegedly confessed that he normally smokes fentanyl two or three times per day with his live-in girlfriend. Police said they found white rocks and powder in Sembera’s car that they believed to be fentanyl.
In a statement to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC, Sembera’s defense attorney, Mark Thering, said the charge against his client is ridiculous.
“This is a tragic accident, not a crime,” Thering said. “Unfortunately, he has had troubles with addiction, and he’s currently inpatient therapy and has been diagnosed with addiction disorder.”
Sembera was arrested on Nov. 26 and was released from custody after posting bond of $100,000. He is scheduled to appear in court again on March 4, records show.
