Brooklyn Park man sentenced for third-degree murder charge in Tennessee man’s death
Courtesy of Washington County
A Brooklyn Park man learned his future on Friday after pleading guilty in connection with a Tennessee man’s overdose.
Benjamin Theron Fraser, 43, received a sentence of eight and a half year (103 months) in prison, which was stayed for 25 years of probation. He will also serve time at the Washington County Jail for 364 days, with credit for 117 days already served.
Fraser was initially charged with one count of third-degree murder in November of 2022. He pleaded guilty in November of 2023, according to court records.
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The charges stem from an incident on June 22, 2022, in which officers in Woodbury were called to the Woodsprings Hotel on Weir Drive for a report of a man who was not breathing and was cold to the touch, according to a criminal complaint.
The man, later identified as a Tennessee man in town for work, was declared dead on the scene.
The room at the hotel was rented by the victim, officials say. Investigators found drug paraphernalia and other evidence of drug use in the room.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner later determined the victim died as a result of fentanyl toxicity.
A neighbor told law enforcement she had helped the victim buy what she believed to be heroin from a person she knew as “Bennie,” the complaint states. Officers were able to identify “Bennie” as Fraser.
Cellphone records from Fraser, the victim and the neighboring resident showed drug-related text messages that confirmed the woman’s story, according to court documents.