Man who injected TCU student with fatal heroin dose is charged with possessing machine gun
A Fort Worth man who is on probation for dealing the heroin that killed a 21-year-old TCU student in 2013 faces new federal gun crime charges, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Brennan Trainor Rodriguez, 33, was charged Wednesday, Oct. 30, in a two-count indictment that alleges he illegally possessed a machine gun and illegally received a firearm while under indictment, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said in a news release.
On Jan. 29, 2013, Rodriguez injected a syringe loaded with heroin into the arm of Thomas Boone Pickens IV, causing his death by overdose, according to Tarrant County court records. The college student, whom his family called Ty, was the grandson of the late billionaire oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens.
Rodriguez, who also was a TCU student at the time of his arrest in 2013, pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance causing Ty Pickens’ death and was placed on 10 years of deferred-adjudication probation beginning on Nov. 26, 2014. Conditions of his community supervision prohibited him from possessing guns, and while he is on probation he is legally still considered under indictment, according to federal prosecutors.
Rodriguez was charged earlier this year with stalking a woman in Tarrant County, and that case also is pending in state court.
On Aug. 6. of this year, Fort Worth police responded to a domestic disturbance call from Rodriguez’s former girlfriend, according to the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The woman told police that Rodriguez had been stalking and harassing her since their breakup. According to court documents, Rodriguez is accused of following her to stores, sending her text messages to let her know he was watching her, and trying to pry open her front door. The woman also told police that Rodriguez frequently shot guns, including one that fired fully automatic.
Rodriguez was arrested the following week on suspicion of stalking. While searching his home, law enforcement officers found nine guns, including a Smith & Wesson rifle equipped with a machine gun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “switch” or “auto sear,” the release states.
After his arrest in the stalking case, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office filed a petition to revoke Rodriguez’s probation in the controlled substance case. A hearing on the petition is scheduled for Nov. 20. If his deferred-adjudication probation is revoked, he could be convicted and sentenced to serve time for Pickens’ death.
Tom and Jennifer Pickens alleged that Rodriguez injected their son with heroin to steal his ATM card and get money. Comerica Bank records included in the case file show Rodriguez on camera at a Sundance Square ATM on Jan. 29, apparently withdrawing $60 from Pickens’ account.
Greg Westfall, who, with Bruce Ashworth, represented Rodriguez in the controlled substance case, said an eyewitness told police that Ty Pickens had used heroin several times before Jan. 29, 2013, and freely gave his ATM card and PIN number to Rodriguez. Ashworth is also representing Rodriguez in the stalking case.
Rodriguez also could face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted of the gun charges. The ATF’s Fort Worth Resident Agency and the Fort Worth Police Department investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Chen.
As of Friday, Nov. 1, he remained in the Tarrant County Jail.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 1:09 PM.
