Jovan Cortez, 18, died one day after Texas’ new law regarding fentanyl poisoning took effect in Sept. 2023. Court records indicate Cortez thought he was taking Percocet, but an autopsy showed he died from a fentanyl overdose.
“He was kind, he was sweet, he was funny; always there to help others and they snatched him away from us,” said Jovan’s mother, Terea Cortez-Poole. “I don’t accept he’s gone, I sit in the back and I wait for him to come home because there’s no one, Jovan is gone, there’s no way I’m never going to see him again.”
Cortez-Poole said her son did have his struggles with mental health and drug use, but was turning his life around.
“He wasn’t an addict, he would take random pills to numb the pain,” said Cortez-Poole. “He had a good job, he worked at FedEx, we were talking about him getting his GED, a license, getting him a car, he was doing really, really well.”
Jovan Cortez lived with his family and his mom was the last to speak with him on Sept. 2. Cortez-Poole said he was happy.
“I said, ‘It’s past 1 o’clock you need to go to bed, and he was like, ‘Ok, I love you mom,’ and that was it. We found him in his room,” said Cortez-Poole.
Cortez-Poole said the family found Jovan dead in his room after he didn’t show up for a date with his girlfriend and he was not answering his phone. Court records show text messages on Jovan Cortez’s phone led investigators to Muhammad Rafay, 25.
Rafay is accused of selling Percocet to Jovan Cortez and court documents state crushed pills found in Cortez’s room tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. Angel Barrientos, 26, is accused of delivering the pills to Jovan Cortez’s house.
Under Texas’ new law, both men are charged with murder by fentanyl poisoning. A third person was also charged as part of this investigation. Court documents read a search warrant was served at an apartment shared by Rafay and Andrea Moreno, 23.
Court documents read investigators seized 1,400 grams of meth, 740 grams of Xanax, 30 grams of cocaine and $24,000 in cash. Moreno is not charged in connection with Jovan Cortez’s death, but is charged with felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Cortez-Poole said she is eager to see the men prosecuted for her son’s death.
“I need them to know they stole someone beautiful from this earth that had a future, you know these dealers don’t have a future,” said Cortez-Poole.
Cortez-Poole has also started a Tik-Tok channel to spread her son’s story and awareness of the dangers of fentanyl poisoning.
“These are our kids, they’re supposed to be the kids of our future and this is the future that we’re looking at,” she said.