Man who injected TCU student with fatal heroin sentenced on federal gun charges
The Fort Worth man charged in the 2013 overdose death of a TCU student has been sentenced to over four years in federal prison on firearm charges, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Texas said.
Brennan Trainor Rodriguez, 33, was indicted in federal court on a charge of illegal possession of a machine gun in October 2024 and pleaded guilty in December.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor sentenced Rodriguez on Friday to 51 months in prison.
In August 2024, police responded to a domestic disturbance call from Rodriguez’s ex-girlfriend, who said that Rodriguez had been stalking and harassing her since the end of their relationship, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
The woman also told police that Rodriguez frequently shot guns, including one that fired fully automatic, according to the release.
Rodriguez was arrested the following week on stalking charges, authorities said. During a search of his home, police found nine guns, including a rifle equipped with a conversion device commonly known as a “switch” or “auto sear.”
At the time of the charges, Rodriguez was on probation in the 2013 overdose death of TCU student Thomas Boone Pickens IV, the grandson of oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens. He was accused of injecting heroin into the arm of the 21-year-old, known as Ty Pickens.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty in November 2014 to a charge of delivery of a controlled substance in connection to Ty Pickens’ death, for which he received 10 years of probation with deferred adjudication, the Star-Telegram reported at the time. The conditions of his probation prohibited him from owning guns.
The stalking charge is still pending in state court. Tarrant County prosecutors also have filed a petition to revoke Rodriguez’s probation in the drug overdose case.
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM.
