SAN ANTONIO – On Thursday, a San Antonio family finally got the relief they’d been seeking for the last three years.
The Bove family listened intently in a federal courtroom as a judge sentenced 29-year-old Patrick James Hall to 30 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, resulting in the death of Isabella Render, 19.
Render died on Oct. 28, 2020. Hall admitted meeting Render in a San Antonio hotel room that day. He sold her fentanyl disguised as oxycodone.
Hall said Render had been unconscious in his hotel room for an extended period of time. Instead of calling 911, he left her alone.
Hall called Render’s friend and told that person Render had overdosed. Investigators said that friend called emergency services, which pronounced Render dead when they arrived at the hotel.
A toxicology report showed that Render had an amount of fentanyl in her blood that exceeded 24 times a fatal dose.
“When you lose someone to something like this, many people feel just so angry and upset. But we are very thankful that the assistant attorney general did such an amazing job to seek justice in this situation,” said Tara Bove, Render’s mother.
Bove also told KSAT she hopes Thursday’s sentencing scares drug dealers.
“I want those drug dealers who are out there who may have a stash right now in their pocket, and they’re getting ready to push it to someone, [to] think twice because there is now a law in place that will do something that is beyond a slap on the hand and back on the streets again,” said Bove.
Bove also wants family members who have lost their kids in similar situations to fight for justice. She always thinks about her daughter’s dreams.
“She had many things that she was planning to do, and anyone who knew Isabella would describe her as the most loving [person]. She had the most infectious smile, such a bright person.”
The 19-year-old left behind a baby girl. Render had been accepted into UTSA. Her dream was to be an art teacher.