Dakota County man charged with third-degree murder for selling controlled substance

A man in Dakota County has been charged with a felony for the alleged distribution and selling of a controlled substance in April 2021.

Jacob Leo Berreth, 22, from Farmington, has been charged with third-degree murder for his role in selling the controlled substance.

On April 15, 2021, the Farmington Police Department say they responded to the 18000 block of Exley Avenue for reports of an unresponsive male around 12:27 p.m.

Officers and paramedics found Jose Ricardo Ellis Reedy, 20, unresponsive in a bedroom. Their attempts to revive the victim were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead shortly after, according to court documents.

Also found in the bedroom was a piece of foil with burnt residue, a lighter, and a rolled dollar bill near the victim. All of these items indicated drug use, according to the official complaint.

Police say the officers also collected a phone, iPad, laptop, drug paraphernalia, and prescription medication from the bedroom.

The criminal complaint states that text messages, Snapchat messages, and payment transactions between the victim and Berreth were found on the phone and iPad.

According to court documents, an autopsy performed on Reedy determined the cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity.

Officers with Farmington police spoke to a witness who was with Reedy on the night of his death.

The witness said that she and Reedy were the only people in the home on the night of April 14, 2021. She saw him go outside and meet with a man, later identified as Berreth, according to court records. Reedy came back inside, and the witness went to bed around midnight.

The next day, the witness thought Reedy was sleeping until she discovered he was unresponsive and called 911, court documents state.

The complaint says a second witness, who knew the victim and Berreth, said she talked with Berreth after Reedy’s death. Berreth confirmed to the witness that he sold drugs to Reedy.

A third witness who was with Berreth in the vehicle on April 14 said Reedy came outside into the car, where the three talked for several minutes. According to the complaint, Berreth sold a “Perc” to Reedy, and the three used drugs in the vehicle.

Farmington police got a statement from Berreth, who said he knew the victim and last saw him a couple of weeks before his death. He denied selling to Reedy on the night of his death but said that he had sold to him in the past.

A warrant has been requested so the release conditions can be determined.