Burnsville Man Faces Murder Charges In Fatal December Fentanyl OD

BURNSVILLE, MN — A Burnsville man was charged with third-degree murder Friday in Hennepin County District Court in connection with accusations he sold a pill laced with fentanyl to a woman who later fatally overdosed. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $40,000.

Kewon Willingham, 21, is currently in jail in Dakota County. In addition to murder charges, he is charged with one count of second-degree controlled substance crime, one count of third-degree controlled substance crime and a firearm violation, according to a criminal complaint in Dakota County District Court.

Police were called to a Bloomington home on Dec. 30, 2021, to provide medical assistance to a woman experiencing a drug overdose, according to the criminal complaint. The woman died at a hospital the next day, and the medical examiner ruled her cause of death was a fentanyl overdose, prosecutors said.

When first responders moved the woman to take her to the hospital, they found a pill under her body they believed to be fentanyl. Fentanyl is often referred to as "Mbox pills," and the pill was marked "M 30," prosecutors said.

A friend told police that the woman normally got drugs from two men, who became witnesses in the case, according to the complaint.

The witnesses told police that the night before she overdosed, the woman asked them to pick up drugs and that they went to Willingham's home in Burnsville to get them, prosecutors said.

They gave the woman the three pills she had bought, and one of the men saw her smoking a crushed pill, prosecutors said.

The next morning, the man found her unconscious in her bedroom, prosecutors said. He began giving her CPR while the second man looked for Narcan, according to the complaint.

One of the witnesses gave officers Willingham's Snapchat handle and identified Willingham as the man who sold them the pills, prosecutors said.

Police got a warrant for Willingham's Snapchat and found several pictures of him discussing selling Mbox pills, according to the complaint.

Police then got a warrant for Willingham's apartment and found over 300 pills stamped "M 30," a loaded firearm with an obliterated serial number, ammunition, more than $1,000 cash and other drug paraphernalia, prosecutors said.

In a post-Miranda statement, Willingham admitted to having and selling drugs in his apartment, according to prosecutors. He said he knew the pills contained fentanyl and kept Narcan in his apartment in case of an overdose, prosecutors said.

He also confirmed that he sold Mbox pills to the two witnesses, according to the criminal complaint.