Man charged with murder after selling fentanyl that led to man’s death in 2023

AUSTIN, Texas — A man has been charged with first-degree murder after selling fentanyl last year, which resulted in a man’s death.

According to the Austin Police Department (APD), on September 6, 2023, police responded to an urgent call for assistance in the 2800 block of West Anderson Lane just after 9 p.m. Police arrived and located a man identified as 59 years old. old Troy Cernosek, unconscious and not breathing.

Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) and Austin Fire Department (AFD) paramedics attempted to revive Cernosek, but he died at the scene. An autopsy conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office found that Cernosek died from the “toxic effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and codeine.”

Through further investigation, police determined that Cernosek had purchased fentanyl from then-34-year-old Christopher Michael McDermott.

According to an affidavit, Cernosek met McDermott at the McDonald’s on Burnet Road with the intent to purchase fentanyl. He then went to his living space on Anderson Lane, where he and another man smoked fentanyl. A witness who was friends with Cernosek said she was with him when he started smoking before going to a nearby store. When she returned, she noticed he was on the floor in a coma and began CPR. When he didn’t respond, she ran to a nearby Whataburger to call 911.

Police interviewed a man who smoked fentanyl with Cernosek. The man said he took a “hit” from a piece of aluminum foil later found near Cernosek’s body before he left the scene.

McDonald’s surveillance video taken earlier in the day showed the apparent fentanyl transaction between McDermott and Cernosek. Investigators then examined the area and discovered a temporary camp on the side of a building in the 8000 block of Burnet Road. McDermott was identified by a business owner in the area as someone who lived at the camp.

McDermott and a woman believed to be his girlfriend were arrested on September 13, 2023 and charged with trespassing, but neither was charged in Cernosek’s death. McDermott posted bail and was not held in jail.

An arrest warrant was issued for McDermott last month in connection with Cernosek’s death. On December 2, police canvassed the area and located him near a Chevron in the 1700 block of Anderson Lane, where he was arrested on two separate warrants for theft charges.

McDermott initially told police he did not remember selling narcotics, but later admitted to selling $5 worth of quantities. He then told police that he knew Cernosek and knew he had died. He also admitted to selling Cernosek the fentanyl that resulted in his death, which led to McDermott being charged with first-degree murder.