Man, 24, Charged With Murder In Woman's Fentanyl Overdose

Originally published Feb. 7

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 24-year-old Twin Cities man is charged with murder after allegedly selling fentanyl-laced pills last May to a woman who fatally overdosed.

Jesse Lietzau, of White Bear Township, is charged via warrant with third-degree murder in connection to giving/selling a controlled substance, court documents filed in Hennepin County show. If convicted of the charge, Lietzau could face up to 25 years in prison.

According to a criminal complaint, a man told investigators that he and his fiancee bought "perc 30s" on May 15 from Lietzau, whom they knew as "Jesse King." He worked at a hotel in St. Paul, where they met him.

The man told investigators that his finacee took one of the pills that evening. The next day, she was found dead, a pool of blood around her mouth. A toxicology report later found the woman had fentanyl in her system. Her cause of death was listed as "acute fentanyl toxicity."

Investigators found text messages on the woman's phone between her and Lietzau. Lietzau allegedly told the woman to break up the pills into quarters and halves due to their strength.

According to prosecutors, perc 30s are fake pills made to resemble Oxycodone Hydrocodone tablets. They are often made with fentanyl.