Posted on Sun, May. 04, 2008

Drug suspect, 81, dies before day in court

By MELODY McDONALD

Star-Telegram staff writer

FORT WORTH -- An 81-year-old man who was arrested along with his wife on suspicion of selling black-tar heroin from his Fort Worth home last year has died.

Last week, prosecutors dismissed all the criminal cases against Alejandro Gonzalez after learning he had died in March. He had been charged with two cases of delivering and manufacturing a controlled substance. "He had a heart attack and died at John Peter Smith," said his attorney, Lex Johnston "We were going to fight the case vigorously, but God did his thing."

Background

Carolina and Alejandro Gonzalez were arrested in August after officers with a search warrant went to their home in the 2800 block of South Jennings Avenue. Police have said the arrests culminated a two-month investigation in which undercover officers bought black-tar heroin five times at the house. When police executed the search warrant, they found nearly an ounce of heroin, scales, drug paraphernalia and a ledger that recorded who bought the heroin and the price.

Carolina Gonzalez's sentence

On March 10 -- the same day her husband died -- Carolina Gonzalez, 58, reached an agreement with prosecutors and was sentenced to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to five charges of delivering and manufacturing a controlled substance, according to court records.

Criminal history

According to court records, Alejandro and Carolina Gonzalez were arrested Sept. 4, 1996, for possessing 4 to 200 grams of heroin with the intent to deliver. Alejandro Gonzalez, then 69, and his wife each received seven years of deferred adjudication. Alejandro Gonzalez's case was dismissed in 2004 after he completed his probation. His wife's probation was later revoked and she was sentenced to two years in prison because she repeatedly used opium-derived medications without a valid prescription, court records show.