Fort Myers man charged with first-degree murder and selling fentanyl to 25-year-old woman

A grand jury says a man intended to kill a 25-year-old woman when he sold her a pill she believed was Percocet but was laced with fentanyl.

According to the state attorney, Anthony Hicks, 22, from Fort Myers, is the latest accused dealer charged with first-degree capital murder.

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State attorney Amira Fox says this is a mission for her.

Hicks’s first appearance finished at the Collier County Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon.

Inside, the judge ruled Hicks would be held on no bond. That happened after Fox said a young woman was dead because of his decision to sell her a pill that either solely caused her death or played a major role in it.

Fox says Hicks sold a deadly dosage of fentanyl to a 25-year-old woman who thought she was buying a Percocet pill, and she later died from fentanyl.

“If I can prove it, and you sell or distribute a controlled substance to somebody, and it kills them or is a substantial factor in their death, I can, and I will prosecute you for first-degree capital murder. You can consider this a warning and a promise to anyone who chooses to engage in this type of behavior,” said Fox.

“Unfortunate for a family member. Because it’s not a case number, it’s somebody’s loved one. It’s someone’s mother, father, sister, family member or loved one friend,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.

Sheriff Marceno said the LCSO drug homicide investigations team found Hicks chose to sell a fentanyl pill to the woman between Oct. 25 and 26 in 2023.

“We do not want those that push poison and thrive on other people’s addictions to think that they can get away with it,” said Sheriff Marceno.

Hicks will be moved to the Lee County Jail. He is charged with first-degree murder, unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and trafficking fentanyl.