GRAPEVINE. Texas – A new Texas law that allows prosecutors to charge drug suppliers with murder if a user dies of an overdose is being applied to a woman accused of buying drugs from a dealer and reportedly providing the deadly combination to her boyfriend, a former judge, according to reports.
William Shane Nolen, 47, was a former associate Tarrant County judge who died of a drug overdose. His girlfriend, Kami Ludwig, 35, was arrested Monday and is accused of buying fentanyl-laced Xanax pills, cocaine and other illegal narcotics that led to Nolen’s death in November, KDFW reported.
Nolen’s 9-year-old son was home when he overdosed. Now, Ludwig faces counts of murder and possession of a controlled substance, according to a news release issued by the Grapevine Police Department.
Former Tarrant County Judge William Shane Nolen, 47, died in November after ingesting fentanyl and antidepressants. (Facebook – William Shane Nolen)
Ludwig’s arrest after her boyfriend’s overdose death stems from a new state law that became effective in September, which makes the circumstances qualify for murder, the New York Post reported.
“They found evidence that she sought out the pills,” Amanda McNew, with the Grapevine Police Department, told KDFW. “She bought them and brought them back to the victim. He took them, and he died.”
The investigation revealed that Ludwig obtained the narcotics from dealers in the nearby city of Fort Worth and a location in Louisiana.
Ludwig, who called 911 on Nov. 20, 2023, said she awoke before dawn to find Nolen unresponsive next to her and ran to a neighbor’s home for help.
When officers arrived, they found the 47-year-old man dead in his bedroom from a drug overdose. At the time of death he had “bluish-purple” skin and white foam around his nose and mouth, Law&Crime reported, citing a police affidavit.
During the subsequent death investigation, several pills marked “M-30” were found scattered nearby. Detectives also seized 40 blue fentanyl-laced pills, cocaine, oxycodone and Xanax from Ludwig’s purse, according to the affidavit.
The woman was arrested in November for narcotics violations, and later released from jail.
Ludwig, right, is accused of supplying Nolen, left, with the deadly narcotics she purchased from drug dealers. (Facebook/William Shane Nolen)
During the ongoing investigation, detectives believe Ludwig purchased the narcotics from drug dealers identified as “Blue” and “T.”
Ludwig allegedly purchased the controlled substances from “T” in Fort Worth on Nov. 19, according to the affidavit. She also reportedly received a package shipped from Louisiana in an Apple iPhone box that contained Xanax pills.
An autopsy revealed that Nolen died from a combination of fentanyl and the antidepressant Trazodone.
Once Grapevine police obtained an arrest warrant charging Ludwig with murder, she surrendered on Monday and subsequently posted bond.
“Fentanyl murder is a serious accusation, and judgment should be withheld until all the facts and circumstances are known,” Ludwig’s defense attorney, Tiffany Burks, told KDFW.
“We proudly defend Kami as she, too, struggles with the loss of a beloved friend.”
According to law enforcement authorities, investigators continue to build a case against the dealers who supplied the lethal drugs.
