A Galveston County case is drawing attention for both its legal outcome and the questions it leaves behind following the sentencing of a man charged in a fentanyl-related death.

On Thanksgiving Day 2023, 39-year-old Wade Potter was found dead inside his home in what was believed to be a drug-related incident.

“When I found him dead, I actually saw on the counter drugs,” Brandi McKnight said. “So I put my hands up and backed out of the bathroom and immediately went outside and called the police. I knew then that it had something to do with drugs.”

McKnight described seeing drugs and paraphernalia at the scene, reinforcing her belief that Potter’s death was tied to substance use.

More than two years later, 35-year-old Cameron Zahiri was charged in connection with the case, becoming one of the first defendants in Galveston County to be charged with and plead guilty to a fentanyl-related murder.

Still, questions remain about key testimony and the circumstances surrounding the case.

“Michael testified and said he knew it was fentanyl,” McKnight said. “But he’s the one who introduced Wade to Cameron, and he was still in communication with Cameron after Wade’s death. To me, that creates a really big issue with his testimony.”

On March 13, 2026, KGTX 7 News was the first to report on Zahiri’s sentencing. Inside a Galveston County courtroom, the Potter family watched as Judge Patricia Grady handed down the punishment: 180 days in jail followed by 10 years of deferred adjudication probation.

For McKnight, the decision was devastating.

“I was absolutely devastated because she put Wade’s life into three months of his entire life,” she said. “To me, it felt very much like she was victim blaming Wade.”

Under Texas law, deferred adjudication may be considered if a judge determines a defendant did not directly cause the death or intend for it to happen. However, the outcome has left Potter’s family questioning how that standard was applied.

“That means in 10 years, if he doesn’t do anything wrong, he gets off probation and his record is wiped clean, so the murder doesn’t even exist,” McKnight said. “I feel like I was robbed of my voice.”

McKnight said she was not given the opportunity to review her victim impact statement before sentencing and felt it carried little weight afterward.

“I still read it, but it felt pointless at that point,” she said.

She also questioned whether a statement she gave to police in the immediate aftermath of Potter’s death may have influenced the outcome.

“I don’t really remember a lot of what happened that day. It’s kind of a blur,” McKnight said. “Apparently I gave a statement… and said it was possible that he was suicidal. I do not remember saying that.”

The family has also pointed to other cases in neighboring counties, arguing the punishment in this case is inconsistent.

“People in Harris County are getting charged with distribution leading to a death and they’re getting one to five years in prison,” McKnight said. “So it makes no sense why she would give this sentence.”

In the wake of the sentencing, McKnight said she has begun working with advocacy organizations, organizing marches, and has reached out to the Texas Attorney General’s Office seeking a broader review of the judicial process.

KGTX 7 News reached out to Judge Grady for comment but did not receive a response.

Zahiri is expected back in court on March 20, when the full conditions of his probation are set to be outlined.

As the case continues, the Potter family says the impact of Wade’s death — and the broader fentanyl crisis — remains impossible to ignore.

“To this day, it’s still something that I deal with. You don’t forget finding somebody dead,” McKnight said. “Every day there’s at least seven deaths or more from fentanyl. This is not just affecting normal drug addicts. There are children that are dying from this… This is something that is way bigger than just Wade’s case.”