ANDOVER, Minn. – An Andover man has been charged with murder, following his girlfriend’s overdose. 24-year-old Seth Adam Olson (pictured) admitted to giving his girlfriend methadone and calling police later in the day when he saw that she had stopped breathing.
Methadone is a pain reliever that is frequently used as a part of heroin addiction detox programs. According to the criminal complaint, on February 16th, Olson went to his methadone clinic to take his daily dose of the drug. While he was there, he was allowed to bring an additional dose home for the following day when the clinic would be closed. As he was leaving the clinic, he claims he bought another dose of methadone in the parking lot from a man he identified as Blondie. He says he purchased the extra dose for his girlfriend, because he didn’t want to split his dose with her, and she did not have a prescription for the drug. He gave her the drug when he got home, and within 90 minutes, he noticed that her breathing had slowed to less than ten breaths per minute. More than 12 hours later, after she had completely stopped breathing, he called paramedics. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Medical Examiner confirmed that her death was caused by methadone toxicity. If convicted of murder in the third degree, Olson faces up to 25 years in jail. The third degree charges mean authorities believe that Olson unintentionally caused his girlfriend’s death because he gave her a controlled substance.
