Not Guilty Plea Entered in Rochester Murder Case
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A St. Paul man charged in connection with a drug overdose death in Rochester last year today entered a not guilty plea in the case.
56-year-old Jimmie Lee Campbell is facing a third-degree murder charge for allegedly selling the overdose victim the drugs that claimed his life. The man, who is not identified in the court documents, was found dead at a family member's home in Rochester on the morning of April 29, 2021.
An autopsy later determined the man's death was caused by a toxic overdose of heroin and fentanyl. The charges also state that investigators found partial pills, suspected to be counterfeit oxycodone, inside the victim's wallet.
Investigators were able to use surveillance camera video recorded at a convenience store in St. Paul to tie Campbell to the man's death. In the video, the man is seen entering Campbell's vehicle in the parking lot and allegedly exchanging items before he exited the vehicle after only about 15 seconds.
The criminal complaint says, at the time of his arrest, Campbell was caught in possession of 29 individually packaged bindles of suspected heroin and cocaine along with 10 suspected counterfeit oxycodone pills that matched the partial pills found in the victim's wallet.
Campbell was released from jail last August after he posted $50,000 conditional bail. His trial date has yet to be scheduled.