Rochester woman gets 4 years for manslaughter; Linked to heroin overdose death

Published 7:39 am Friday, February 1, 2019

A Rochester drug dealer connected to the June 7, 2017, overdose death of an Austin woman was sentenced to 48 months in the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee on Thursday in Mower County District Court.

Desiree Marie Franken, 40

Desiree Marie Franken, 40, pleaded guilty on Oct. 25 to felony second-degree manslaughter-culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk. She was initially charged on Nov. 2, 2017, with felony third-degree murder-drugs and felony third-degree drugs-sale of a narcotic, but both charges were dismissed at the sentencing.

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Franken received credit for 247 days served.

Judge Jeffrey Kritzer issued the sentence.

Court documents state a woman was found unresponsive on June 7, 2017, in her bed at her residence in the 800 block of Eighth Avenue Southeast. Austin Police, Gold Cross and a medical examiner responded to the scene, where the woman was pronounced dead. Police found used syringes on the floor and in a drawer next to the bed. They also found a pill bottle with two bags of methamphetamine and a bag of heroin as well as a tin cup with a cotton ball inside, which is consistent with injecting heroin or other drugs.

An autopsy revealed the victim died of “heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity.”

The victim’s mother told police the victim was an opiate abuser and that Franken had visited her during the late night hours of June 6, 2017, and did not leave until 6 a.m. the next morning.

A review of the victim’s cell phone showed text messages exchanged between her and Franken from June 4-6, 2017. In them, the victim agreed to purchase three grams of heroin for $225 from Franken. A message from Franken, sent at 11:36 p.m. on June 6, 2017, said she was coming to the victim’s house.

Police executed a search warrant of Franken’s Rochester residence on June 8, 2017. They made contact with Franken, who admitted she sold the victim heroin on the night of June 6, 2017.

In addition to the sentence, Franken must also pay $4,555.45 in fines and restitution.