Adam Briggs, 40, was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to a charge of possession with intent to deliver that was connected with the death of Honor Wallace.
Wallace, 25, died from a heroin and fentanyl overdose in July 2022. Briggs was charged in connection with it in February 2023.
The Houston Police Department and prosecutors said they linked Briggs to Wallace's death through text messages. He faced several charges, and this week, he reached a plea agreement on an unrelated one while two others were dismissed.
"We opted to have him plead to the higher charge and present her case as part of punishment in this hearing," prosecutor Laurie Beth Jackson explained. "We were pleased to get a sentence of prison time in this case."
Wallace's parents, Sherry and Barry Wallace, who have been vocal about the dangers of fentanyl, felt satisfied.
"They (police and prosecutors) couldn't have done a better job," Barry Wallace, Honor's father, said. "There's no doubt the guy needs to be off the streets and in prison."
The Fentanyl Overdose Task Force, comprised of DEA agents, HPD, and the Harris County District Attorney's Office, worked on Honor's case, but it predated the fentanyl murder charge that was recently codified.
Adam Briggs' attorney, Mike Trent, told ABC13 his client never sold drugs to anyone and that authorities only "target low-level drug users while ignoring wholesale dealers."
"There needs to be accountability," Barry Wallace added.
Trent issued a statement to ABC13:
Adam Briggs is a first-offender and heroin addict who never sold drugs to anyone. Today the State of Texas expended considerable time, effort, and resources to send him to prison because he shared drugs with a friend and fellow drug addict who had a history of overdosing. HPD never bothered to try and locate the dealer who sold the drugs even though they had good leads to work with. HPD and DA Kim Ogg have cynically promoted a false narrative in this case in an effort to score political points and show that they are doing something to combat the problem, but all they have done is target low-level drug users while ignoring wholesale dealers. The legislature never intended for the law to be misused in this way and the taxpayers should know that space in TDCJ that could have housed drug dealers or violent offenders will now be taken up by a substance abuser who needs help. It is both a tragedy and an outrage.
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