The man accused of selling the drugs that killed the Indian travel influencer and Dubai resident Anunay Sood during a stay in Las Vegas is expected to appear in court on Thursday.
Weeks ago, 49-year-old Thamrong Hill was indicted on charges of murder in the second degree as well as selling and transporting a controlled substance that resulted in the death of Mr Sood in November of last year.
Mr Hill's forthcoming appearance in Nevada's Clark County District Court is classified as a confirmation of counsel status check, meaning a judge will make sure a suspect has proper legal representation before moving forward with the case. If he is not able to obtain his own lawyer, he will probably be given a public defender.
According to Las Vegas CBS affiliate KLAS-TV, during Mr Hill's initial court appearance in June, he indicated that he was not able to afford legal representation at the time.
KLAS-TV, which also obtained grand jury transcripts from Mr Sood's fiancee, Shivani Parihar - who was with him in Las Vegas at the time of his death - testified against Mr Hill and shed more light on what happened in the hours leading up to the incident.
In December, the coroner's office in Clark County, Nevada told The National that tests had confirmed that Mr Sood died of combined fentanyl and ethanol toxicity.
Mr Sood, 32, was staying at the Wynn Las Vegas luxury hotel on November 4 when those with him found him unresponsive.
“They thought he was in a deep sleep,” the police report said. When they could not wake him, they called first responders. The report said that after an ambulance arrived, medical personnel “began life-saving care” with CPR and Narcan packets - used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids - but could not revive him.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report stated that witnesses implied that his death “could be from a possible overdose”.
The report also mentions that the group with whom Mr Sood was staying in Las Vegas sought to “obtain some narcotics” and later met with a man who sold the group what was suspected to be drugs.
KLAS-TV reported that transcripts indicated that Mr Sood's fiancee said they thought at the time that they had purchased cocaine from Mr Hill. Investigators say they were actually sold fentanyl, which is significantly more deadly than cocaine.
Mr Sood, whose Instagram account has 1.4 million followers, was known for his luxurious lifestyle and travel storytelling.
His family confirmed the news of his death on his official account, leading to messages of condolence from the community in Dubai, where he had made his home, as well as India.
Ms Parihar posted a tribute soon thereafter, reading: “My heart feels heavy and everything around me feels empty. You were my person, my safe place, my life, my everything.” He is survived by his two sisters.
