Fort Myers man faces arraignment after murder indictment for fentanyl sale

Reporter: Asha Patel Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:

A Fort Myers man is set to face arraignment after his indictment on a capital murder charge for selling fentanyl to a woman who later died of an overdose.

Joshua Robert Pulley’s mugshot sat on an easel as State Attorney Amira Fox told reporters he will face the death penalty for his fentanyl sale.

“Our law enforcement agencies and I will not tolerate the distribution of deadly substances in this community,” Fox said. “If you sell this poison and somebody dies, you are facing a first-degree capital murder charge.”

Fox said too many lives have been lost because of fentanyl and hopes capital charges will discourage others from selling it.

The Fort Myers Police Department arrested 30-year-old Pulley on Thursday after they said he sold fentanyl to Kerrin Saunders, who died on Dec. 22, 2022. A Lee County grand jury indicted Pulley on first-degree murder charges.

WINK News spoke with Dr. Dave Thomas, a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University and former cop, about his thoughts on the decision and Pulley’s possible sentence.

“You’re also asking people who commit crimes to think about this, that therefore, in my brain, I am going to think that, ‘Oh, God, if this person dies, they’re going to try me for capital murder,'” Thomas said. “Now, in many of these cases, there’s no conscious effort, no thought: ‘I’m just doing it because.’ That’s the reality.”

Pulley will face a judge for arraignment Monday morning. He could also face additional charges because police found drugs and firearms in his home during his arrest.

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