Beverly Burrell Sentenced In Marine's Overdose Death
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Maplewood woman has now been sentenced in the deaths of three men who died from overdoses after ingesting heroin laced with fentanyl.
WCCO's cameras were in the courtroom Thursday in Sherburne County as a judge sentenced Beverly Burrell to just over eight years for knowingly selling drugs that killed a Minnesota veteran.
Dustin Peltier died in April of 2016. The family of the highly-decorated marine believe he had post-traumatic stress disorder, and turned to drugs to cope. Burrell sold him his final dose.
"I have to live the rest of my life without him," said mother Carla Peltier. "It didn't have to be this way."
The court had already agreed that Burrell was guilty of selling their son fentanyl-laced drugs. With the whole family watching, they begged for a long sentence for the death of their son.
"Your honor, Beverly Burrell knew she was selling fentanyl to our disabled veterans," said father Kurt Peltier. "To our family, she is a monster. A monster that took lives with the drugs she was selling before and after our son."
Burrell sat quietly, and when asked to speak, she respectfully refused.
"You made a mess of your own life, and more importantly, created monumental heartache and pain, loss for the Peltiers, their family and their friends," said Tenth Judicial District Judge Walter Kaminsky.
And after giving a heavy sentence of eight and a half years, the Peltier family finally had relief, if only for a moment.
