Judge sentences St. Louis County fentanyl dealer for distribution causing death

 ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge Henry E. Autrey sentenced Travis Broeker to 23 years in prison today. On September 17, 2020, at the conclusion of a four-day jury trial, the 36-year-old Clayton, Missouri resident was found guilty of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

The evidence at trial established on February 28, 2018, Broeker met the victim on a parking lot of a convenience store and sold him six fentanyl capsules. The victim returned to his residence in the 2800 block of Telegraph, ingested fentanyl and overdosed. The victim’s roommate called 911 at 7:27 p.m.  The victim was successfully treated with NARCAN and released from the hospital late in the evening of February 28. While the victim was in the hospital, his roommate confiscated what he believed to be the victim’s remaining fentanyl and his cell phone for the victim’s safety. Unfortunately, the victim’s roommate was unaware that the victim had concealed some of the remaining fentanyl in a hollowed-out rubber ball.

The victim returned home around midnight where he and his roommate spoke before the roommate went to sleep. During the early morning hours of March 1, the victim’s roommate found him unresponsive, in a fetal position. The same paramedics who treated the victim the previous night responded a second time and determined he was “beyond help.” The victim was pronounced dead at 6:08 a.m. on March 1. 

St. Louis County Police investigators obtained the victim’s remaining fentanyl and cell phone from his roommate. The police used an undercover detective purporting to be the victim’s friend to contact Broeker, who agreed to distribute additional fentanyl to the victim and the undercover detective. Broeker enlisted co-defendant Pamela Barton to deliver 20 capsules of fentanyl to the undercover detective. Barton unwittingly contacted the police to make the fentanyl delivery and was arrested. Investigators later arrested Broeker, who admitted distributing fentanyl to the victim.   

On January 15, 2020, Judge Autrey sentenced Barton to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. 

The St. Louis County Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Nauman Wadalawala is handling the case.