Rochester Man Sent to Prison For Role in Fatal Drug Overdose

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man has been sent to prison for a conviction connected to a fatal drug overdose in Rochester.

The criminal case dates back to June 2021, when Rochester police began investigating the death of a woman from a heroin overdose. The criminal complaint against 47-year-old Sean Alexander alleged that the he sold the overdose victim the drugs that led to her death.

Snapchat Video

The court document says investigators learned through interviews and social media messages that the overdose victim met with Alexander the night before her death at the Oak Terrace Mobile Home Park in southeast Rochester. A friend of the victim told police she received a Snapchat video call from the victim during which the victim was seen using drugs on camera and appeared to be nodding in and out of consciousness.

Text Message

The criminal complaint says a police informant reported that Alexander transported the victim to St. Marys Hospital after she exhibited signs of medical distress. The informant also told police about receiving a text message that said in part, “She can die. I’m not going to go to prison because she was stupid.”

Evidence in the case includes surveillance camera video showing Alexander arriving at the hospital with the victim unresponsive in the back seat of his vehicle. The criminal complaint indicates that Alexander did not appear to show urgency in the video and never attended to the victim as hospital staff declared a “code blue.”

An autopsy later determined the woman died from a toxic combination of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Charged With Murder

Alexander was charged in October 2022 with third-degree murder in connection with the woman’s death.

READ MORE:  Inmate Charged in Rochester Woman's Drug Overdose Death 

He was also charged this past October with drug dealing offenses stemming from a Rochester Police Department narcotics investigation. He was accused of selling approximately 12 grams of fentanyl through two controlled buys with a police informant last fall. Alexander was charged with a single count of first-degree drug sales in that case.

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Prior Conviction

Alexander’s criminal history includes three prior felony drug convictions, including a 2021 conviction for third-degree drug sales that resulted in a five-year prison sentence.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Alexander admitted to a first-degree drug sales charge stemming from last year’s drug investigation and an amended charge of third-degree drug possession in connection with the fatal overdose.

Alexander has been sentenced to 125 months, or nearly 10 1/2 years, in prison for both convictions.