White Bear Township Man Sentenced for Selling Pills That Caused Fatal Overdose
A White Bear Township man has been sentenced to 180 days in the Hennepin County jail and five years of probation after admitting to selling pills that contained fentanyl and caused a woman’s fatal overdose. Jesse Russell Lietzau, 26, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in connection with the death of 25-year-old Kailey Caspersen. The incident occurred in a Richfield hotel room on May 16, 2021, and Lietzau received his sentence on Thursday.
You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage
While the charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years, state sentencing guidelines in Lietzau’s case called for just over seven years. However, a plea deal was struck between Lietzau and Hennepin County prosecutors. In exchange for his admission of guilt, Lietzau received probation and a jail term of up to 240 days.
Judge Jay Quam chose to stay a seven-year prison sentence for five years, during which Lietzau will be on probation. The judge’s order prohibits work release while in jail and mandates that Lietzau complete a drug treatment program.
However, Caspersen’s mother, Nancy Caspersen, expressed disappointment with the sentence. She believed Lietzau should have received prison time for her daughter’s death and for his own recovery. Nancy Caspersen stated, “Sometimes God just needs you to sit still for a while. And I think that he should have done that.”
Lietzau’s attorney, John Lesch, revealed that Lietzau considered Kailey Caspersen a friend. They had met in treatment as teenagers and remained in touch over the years through Facebook. Lesch mentioned that Caspersen had been supportive of Lietzau during his recovery.
You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?
The tragedy unfolded when Caspersen’s fiance discovered her unresponsive and not breathing in a hotel room. They had gone to purchase drugs from a man they knew as Jesse King, who was later identified as Lietzau. The pills they bought, known as “perc 30s,” were fake pills made to resemble oxycodone hydrocodone 30mg tablets. Caspersen’s fiance witnessed her taking at least one of these pills.
The investigation into the incident revealed messages between Caspersen and Lietzau discussing the drug sale. In one of the messages, Lietzau allegedly warned Caspersen to break the pills into smaller pieces.
Caspersen’s mother described her daughter as her “go-to girl” and someone with a heart of gold. Despite her struggles with drug experimentation, Caspersen was a loving mother to her young son and had aspirations for the future. “A week prior to her passing, she said, ‘Mom, I’m getting it. Slowly, but surely, I’m getting it.’ We found papers, and she had a list of goals and checkmarks of what she was doing,” Nancy Caspersen revealed.
The tragic loss of Kailey Caspersen serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of drug abuse and the urgent need for addiction treatment and support..
