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Breeann Lenore Krueger, 32, of Burnsville, is now in Pipestone County Jail facing charges of third-degree murder by selling fentanyl in relation to the November 2022 death of Justin Rops, of Pipestone.
Krueger was charged with the crime on Aug. 8 and a warrant was issued for her arrest. The warrant was served and she was arrested on Oct. 14, according to court documents.
During a bail hearing held Oct. 16 in Pipestone County District Court, bail was set at $1 million with no conditions or $500,000 with the conditions that she immediately report to probation upon release to provide any and all contact information requested, neither use nor possess alcohol or drugs, submit to random testing to verify abstinence, make and maintain contact with an attorney, keep the court and attorney informed of her current address, and make all future court appearances.
A warrant was also issued for Krueger on July 31 in Anoka County for failing to appear for a pre-trial hearing for another third-degree murder charge involving fentanyl. Previous warrants for her arrest were issued in relation to that case for failing to appear in court and failing to return to the Anoka County Jail after being discharged from treatment on a court ordered furlough, according to court documents.
The charges against Krueger in Pipestone County followed charges of third-degree murder by selling a controlled substance and third-degree sale of fentanyl against Miranda Michelle Sanow, 26, of St. Paul, in April. Sanow plead guilty to the third-degree murder charge on Aug. 6.
According to a complaint filed Aug. 8, Sanow admitted to law enforcement during interviews in October of 2023 and January of 2024 that she sold Rops the fentanyl that caused his death and alleged that she purchased the fentanyl from Krueger. Sanow told law enforcement that she was “100% sure” the fentanyl came from Krueger because Krueger was her only source of fentanyl during that time, and outlined her relationship and purchase transaction history with Krueger as documented in text messages and CashApp logs, according to the complaint.
Among text messages included in the complaint are two from Nov. 16, 2022. In one Krueger texted to Sanow that she had “just grabbed 30 grams,” according to the complaint. A short time later, Sanow texted Krueger asking if Krueger could “save me 12,” according to the complaint.
The next day, Nov. 17, 2022, is when Rops was found unresponsive. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of his death was “fentanyl toxicity,” according to the complaint.
In an interview with law enforcement on Dec. 19, 2023, Krueger admitted to knowing Sanow and providing her with fentanyl “once in a while” and said that Sanow typically used CashApp to transfer the funds to purchase the fentanyl, according to the complaint. The complaint lists several CashApp transactions in October and November of 2022 during which Sanow paid Krueger a total of $3,650.
According to court documents, Assistant Attorney General Leah Erickson and Pipestone County Attorney Damain Sandy will represent the state of Minnesota in the case. An initial appearance hearing was scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 22.