Kansas prosecutors seek rare murder charge in fentanyl overdose death of 15-year-old

Kendrick Calfee, Laura Bauer
·2 min read

A 19-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a January 2023 fentanyl overdose death of a 15-year-old Lansing teen.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation secured an arrest warrant for Torin Baughman of Lansing on suspicion of first-degree murder, or in the alternative distribution of a controlled substance causing death and aggravated endangering of a child.

Nicholas Burris, known as “Cruz” by his loved ones, was found dead in his home Jan. 18, 2023. He swallowed a pill he believed to be Percocet that he bought through a dealer on Snapchat, unaware it was laced with fentanyl. His parents found him the next morning.

Lansing police requested KBI’s assistance in the investigation. Baughman was booked into the Leavenworth County Jail on Wednesday for his suspected involvement in the distribution of the drugs and Cruz’s death.

Baughman’s bond was set at $500,000. According to KBI, Leavenworth County Prosecutor’s Office is expected to prosecute the case.

A rare charge

It’s rare for a fentanyl overdose death to lead to any criminal charges, The Star found in a months-long investigation into fentanyl, Deadly Dose. Of more than 850 deaths in the Kansas City area since 2018, only a small fraction of them ever even made it to a prosecutor’s desk.

A crucial part of cracking down on fentanyl, families and officials agree, is identifying and prosecuting those responsible for distributing the synthetic opioid.

Burris’ parents’ previously told The Star that they had found out who sold the pill to their son hours after his death in January 2023. They knew where the young man lived and told everything to the police.

“We were told we didn’t have enough information,” Rhonda said.

Read more about fentanyl around Kansas City

The Star’s Jenna Thompson contributed to this report.