Minnesota Man Sentenced for Teen's Drug Overdose Death

Red Wing, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Minnesota man has been sentenced in connection with the fatal drug overdose of a teenager.

Read More: Guilty Plea By Drug Dealer Blamed for Minnesota Teenager's Drug Overdose Death

The Red Wing man entered into a plea agreement in March just days before his murder trial was scheduled to start.

The criminal complaint accuses 46-year-old DeShawn Lee Smith supplying the counterfeit M30 pills that were ingested by a 14-year-old boy just before he died from the toxic effects of fentanyl in January 2020.

Goodhue County Sheriff's Office photo

The criminal complaint says the teenager was found unresponsive in his bedroom at his family's Red Wing home by his father, who also found a fragment of a blue M30 pill.

The court document indicates Red Wing police previously had contact with the teenage victim while investigating drug deals taking place at an apartment complex.

Red Wing Police Dept. photo

The juvenile boy told investigators he had been purchasing drugs from a pair of 14-year-old boys who attended Red Wing High School.

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The charges against Smith say one of the teenage drug dealers later identified Smith as his supplier. The court document also indicates Smith was the boyfriend of the mother of one of the suspected drug dealers at the high school.

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Smith entered guilty pleas to a second-degree manslaughter charge and a second-degree drug sales charge. In exchange, Goodhue County prosecutors dropped a third-degree murder charge and two other felony drug charges.

On Friday, Smith was given the chance to avoid prison when a Goodhue County Judge Sentenced him to consecutive five-year stayed prison sentences for each count. He was ordered to serve a year in the Goodhue County Jail and is projected to be released next February.

Smith was granted a downward departure at the sentencing hearing. The court document indicates Smith showed remorse and accepted responsibility. The victim’s family and prosecutor also agreed to the lighter sentence.