August 19th, 2026 Local News
Jefferson Co., Mo. (KFMO) - A Jefferson County man has admitted in federal court that he supplied the fentanyl that caused a fatal overdose in 2024.
Twenty-one-year-old Daryn Joshua Odell Karnes pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of distribution of fentanyl.
According to court documents, Karnes drove to a home in Jefferson County on January 5, 2024, where he sold $100 worth of capsules containing fentanyl, heroin and xylazine to a couple. Investigators said the woman had previously purchased fentanyl from Karnes.
Authorities said the couple did not have enough money to pay for the drugs and wrapped a single $1 bill around paper to make it appear they were paying the full amount. The male later overdosed and died from fentanyl, heroin and xylazine intoxication. First responders found seven of the capsules still at the home.
As part of the plea agreement, Karnes acknowledged that the victim would not have died but for the fentanyl he distributed.
Federal prosecutors also said the drug transaction was arranged through Karnes' Facebook account, "Luh Daryn." After the sale, Karnes reportedly demanded full payment from the victim and later told a third party that the victim and his girlfriend would be "hurt" if they did not pay for the drugs.
Karnes is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17. The federal charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.