A fentanyl dealer wanted in the death of an Oregon man was arrested at a Portland Trailblazer's game after an eagle-eyed deputy spotted him on TV, sitting behind the bench.
Billy Ray Trueblood II, 33, sold the fatal fentanyl-laced painkillers that killed 30-year-old accountant Alex Reser in March 2019, according to federal prosecutors.
Two months later, an attentive deputy watching the basketball game on TV called the lead detective to let him know Trueblood was seated courtside. He was arrested after the game at the Moda Center, where he was found with wads of cash and various pills concealed in an Altoids container, according to court records, The Oregonian reported.
Detectives learned the victim became addicted to opioids in college after suffering a wrestling injury, and Trueblood had been his dealer for 10 years, according to prosecutors.
After returning from a weeklong family getaway in Europe to celebrate his mother's birthday, Reser texted Trueblood asking for "blues" – counterfeit Oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl.
His roommates later found him dead.
Trueblood was indicted on charges of distributing fentanyl, distributing fentanyl resulting in death, and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to prosecutors.
In 2023, he pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl.
Earlier this week, Trueblood was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison and four years' supervised release.
"I know I'm responsible for his death. I hope you know I never meant for any of this to happen," Trueblood told Reser's family during his sentencing, according to the paper.
"To the Reser family, I'm so terribly sorry for all the pain and sorrow I have caused... I hope that one day you can find it in your hearts to forgive me, but I understand if you can't. I'm truly sorry from the bottom of my heart. I hope today will give you some closure, and I'm sorry that it's taken so long."
