North Texas man arrested on murder charge in fentanyl overdose case

A North Texas man has been arrested on a murder charge in a case involving a fatal fentanyl overdose, the Denton Police Department said.

Authorities are charging George Howard Cook II, 45, of Krum, with murder and possession of controlled substances, according to a news release.

Detectives discovered that Cook sold fentanyl-laced narcotics to Mark Saltsman, 64, whom police found dead in his home on Dec. 3, 2024, the release states.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office reported autopsy and test results in June that showed Saltsman died as a result of “mixed drug toxicity (heroin and fentanyl) with diabetic ketoacidosis,” according to the release.

Denton homicide detectives acquired an arrest warrant for Cook and arrested him at his home on Monday on the murder charge. He was in possession of heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine at the time of his arrest, and was then charged with second-degree felony drug possession, police said.

This case adds to the list of fentanyl-related murder charges filed in Texas since Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law in 2023 to prosecute some fentanyl deaths as murder.

A total of 3,867 unintentional fentanyl-related deaths were reported between 2018 and August 2022 in Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Cook is being held in the City of Denton Jail, the release states. The court has not yet determined his bond.