NO JUSTICE FOR SPENCER

'She slapped everybody in the face' | Judge gives dealer no prison time after teen dies from fentanyl

 

The family of a Texas teenager who died from fentanyl says the justice system failed their son.

 

By Isabella Basco 

KHOU 11

Oct 2, 2025

 

  

Spencer Wheeler wheeler with his dog. 

 

AUSTIN, Texas — A great son: that is how Hunter Wheeler remembers his 17-year-old son, Spencer.

Hunter Wheeler described his son as someone who was adventurous and outdoorsy. Spencer Wheeler was a student at McCallum High School who also ran track.

"Just a kind spirit, loving, great friend," Hunter Wheeler said.

On Sept. 15, 2022, Hunter Wheeler remembers getting a call from his son's mother, letting him know their son had died. According to an affidavit, Spencer Wheeler traded a video game system for pills that ended up being laced with fentanyl. 

"It's a grief and a pain you do not want to ever ... you don't want to wish that upon anybody," Hunter Wheeler said. "It's not natural. Losing a child is everybody's biggest fear and rightfully so."

An investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration led to the arrest 28-year-old Alexander Sonnier. 

"He took my best friend," Hunter Wheeler said.

According to online court records, Sonnier took a plea deal. His sentencing hearing was scheduled to take place on Sept. 23. 

"So, the sentencing hearing was going to be ... he agreed to two to 20 years in prison, so it capped at 20 years in prison," Hunter Wheeler said. 

He and his family waited to let the judge decide Sonnier's sentencing, and they were surprised to learn that Judge Karen Sage sentenced Sonnier to 10 years probation. 

Hunter Wheeler sent KVUE a transcript of the hearing. During sentencing, Sage said, "Fentanyl is a scourge, and too many young people are dying. I don't believe that taking a stand on an individual case, though, is necessarily the way to stop that. Like I said, if I thought that, I would sentence him to the max." 

"She slapped everybody in the face, including, you know, starting with my son. He made a mistake, lost his life," Hunter Wheeler said. "Sonnier makes a mistake, and he gets 10 years probation."

Two years ago, state lawmakers passed a bill allowing fentanyl dealers to be charged with murder if the drug they supplied led to a death. But Spencer Wheeler's death happened before the new law took effect in 2023. 

"You deal fentanyl, you need to serve time, and especially if you kill somebody," Hunter Wheeler said. "So, yes, I want justice for my son."

KVUE reached out to Sage and her staff for a comment, but we did not hear back at the time of publication.