DULUTH — A man who allegedly sold a woman fentanyl pills has been charged with her death.
Jason Allen Nelson, 32, of Duluth, faces a third-degree murder charge in the December 2023 fatal overdose of a 46-year-old woman.
ADVERTISEMENT
An arrest warrant was issued earlier this week and he was arraigned Thursday in State District Court.
A criminal complaint says Duluth police officers were called to an apartment at Lenox Place, 701 W. Superior St., around 6 a.m. Dec. 23, 2023. An autopsy revealed the victim, who was not named in court documents, died from the toxic effects of fentanyl.
Investigators said they went on to determine the woman had been addicted to pain medication, but she had been “ripped off” by her usual source Dec. 17. That dealer’s source, Nelson, then reportedly got in touch with her to “make things right.”
The complaint says the victim messaged Nelson on Dec. 22, saying she had enough money for eight pills but indicating she’d try to get enough for 10. She asked her boyfriend for $20, indicating she wanted to buy “oxys” from the defendant.
Records obtained by police allegedly revealed Nelson messaged another person shortly after 11 p.m. to get $100 worth of “blues” — slang for counterfeit oxycodone pills, which commonly contain fentanyl.
Nelson then reportedly messaged the victim shortly before 1 a.m. to say he was on his way. He said he only had eight pills with him but would deliver two more in the morning, according to the records.
The complaint says the woman’s boyfriend came home around 2:20 a.m. and the couple went to bed around 4 a.m.
ADVERTISEMENT
He told police she was “sitting in bed with her head slumped forward,” which was common after she took pills. He encouraged her to smoke a cigarette, which would normally cause her to bounce back, but she remained leaning forward.
The boyfriend said she eventually fell asleep and he went into the living room. When he came back, she was on her stomach and not breathing, so he called 911.
The complaint says investigators found a basket with numerous prescription and over-the-counter medications in the bedroom. One unmarked bottle had seven blue pills marked “M30,” consistent with fake oxycodone tablets.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension laboratory later tested another pill from the bottle and confirmed it contained fentanyl.
Nelson does not appear to have any criminal history in Minnesota or Wisconsin. But St. Louis County prosecutor Mike Ryan noted the “danger inherent in distributing and using fentanyl” and said there are indications Nelson has continued to use the drug since the incident.
He separately faces a count of fifth-degree drug possession as he was allegedly carrying a small glass bottle with about 6 grams of fentanyl when he was arrested Tuesday.
The Trust Project
