WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) – A sense of relief and hope for what’s to come after the arrest of a Wichita Falls man involved in supplying fentanyl to a minor who passed away last year, one of the three deaths in just one weekend that month.
That minor was Kaysen Villarreal, who died at just 13 years old and was found dead from a fentanyl overdose in an apartment back in September.
“I feel like I’m stuck at Sept. 17, you know, I feel like it’s the same day over and over again,” Kaysen’s mother, Brandi Melo said.
On April 17th, it will be 7 months since the passing of 13-year-old Kaysen Villarreal. After hearing rumors on top of rumors of what happened that night, Melo finally has answers after reading the witness statement.
“But now know what happened, now I know what really happened, now I know that because detective Wilson and I went back and forth on it and I know now what happened. I acted crazy, but I was hurting, I was hurting, I couldn’t believe that my son would do that.”
Joel Diefenbach was charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance to a child. Evidence linking the specific pill supplied by Diefenbach in order to be charged with murder is not strong at the moment; however, Melo said she knows working with Detective Daniel Wilson and Attorney John Gillespie, justice will be served.
“He’s been so great to me and my other son and my grandma, and he really genuinely cares; and I know that John Gillespie and the other prosecutors, I know they are going to take this case, and they’re going to take it seriously, and they’re going to get whatever justice is deserved,” Melo said.
“The biggest thing that’s come out of all this is every day, I’m trying to save someone else, every day I’ve taken my anger, and my hurt, and my sadness and my loneliness, and I’ve turned it around to try to help the next person because that’s what Kaysen would’ve wanted,” Melo said.
Melo now works to help spread awareness and prevent kids from having their lives taken too early, just as Kaysen’s was.
“With all this that happened with Kaysen, but God, you know like, that’s the only reason I am still able to get up every day and to do what I do, and to go have the strength to go talk to these kids every week and be there for them, and to support them and let them know with no judgment, they can talk to me about anything if they are ever in a bad situation, I’ll be there to help,”
A hopeful outlook now with a man behind bars…but still fighting for justice to be fully served. For more information on Melo’s program S.T.A.N.D. call this number: (940) 249-1146
