Las Vegas suspect sold pills to man who overdosed, police say

A man is accused of selling fentanyl-laced pills that killed a Las Vegas man who was seeking pain relief, according to an arrest report released Friday.

Edward Romero-Cordero was arrested Nov. 3 on a warrant and charged with second-degree murder and drug trafficking, according to court records.

Romero-Cordero is accused of selling $200 worth of Xanax and oxycodone that was laced with fentanyl on Feb. 21, according to an arrest report from the Metropolitan Police Department.

The buyer, Shane Bowman, 32, died at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin campus, about nine hours after the drug sale, police said.

The Clark County coroner’s office ruled Bowman’s death an accident from acute intoxication by fentanyl.

Bowman was found Feb. 21 by a woman who lives with him around 3:30 p.m. at their home on the 9000 block of Winthrop Springs Road. Next to him, police found 0.2 grams of prescription pills suspected to be fentanyl, foil and a plastic smoking pipe.

The woman said Bowman had been sober for eight years from his addiction to prescription pills. Bowman suffered a collarbone injury on Feb. 17 and told the woman he was upset the hospital didn’t supply him with anything for the pain.

“(The woman) believes that Bowman purchased the pills off the street due to his pain and not receiving any pain medications from the urgent care,” according to the report.

The woman called Romero-Cordero, a drug dealer she and Bowman knew. She told police Romero-Cordero used his Snapchat to advertise gun and pill sales.

Police said Romero-Cordero admitted to the woman that he sold the pills but said he had warned Bowman “they were strong.” Bowman had agreed to pay $200 for Xanax and oxycodone, according to texts between the men.

Romero-Cordero offered the woman free Xanax as an apology after Bowman’s death, according to the report.

He is being held without bail and is expected to appear in court again Thursday for a preliminary hearing, according to jail records.

Romero-Cordero is at least the fifth person arrested this year in connection with fatal overdoses. Aria Styron, 21, was arrested Oct. 21 in connection with the death of Adrianna Folks, who ingested fentanyl. Joshua Roberts, 22, was arrested Sept. 10 in connection with the death of Mia Gugino. Gugino died in February from fentanyl, MDMA and ethanol toxicity.

A week before Gugino’s death, Joshua Gallegos died from combined toxic effects of fentanyl, MDMA, ethanol and several other drugs. Orianna Cervantes, 19, was charged in the case.

In July, former North Las Vegas firefighter Christopher Candito, 33, was arrested and accused of providing the fatal drug combination that killed his wife, Tiffany Slatsky, at a party on Feb. 23, 2020.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.