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Little-used law nails drug dealer on murder charge
Court records show that drug-related third-degree murder charges have been filed about 12 times since 2001.
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Brooklyn Center Mayor Tim Willson knows the murder conviction of the man who sold his daughter a fatal dose of heroin won't bring her back.
But it could spare other families the pain his own has endured, he said.
"I don't know if it's a vindication, but it certainly is a justification," Willson said of Tuesday's third-degree murder conviction of George Anthony Vasquez. "We're certainly hoping that it sends a message to other individuals who want to break the law and sell illegal drugs."
In a type of case rarely brought to trial, Vasquez, 30, of Minneapolis, was found guilty by a Hennepin County District Court jury of unintentionally causing the death last May of Willson's daughter, Ariel Eaton-Willson, 23, of Brooklyn Center.
The charge, which has been possible under state law for about 20 years, is uncommon primarily because it's difficult to trace where someone got drugs and also difficult to prove that a particular drug caused a person's death, according to authorities and legal experts.
State court records indicate that drug-related third-degree murder charges have been filed just over a dozen times since 2001.
Eaton-Willson, a 2002 graduate of Champlin Park High School, died May 29 after she injected herself with heroin and collapsed.
Her male companion told police that they had gone to a Brooklyn Center Burger King in her vehicle and bought $40 worth of heroin from Vasquez, the charges said. The companion said that he regularly bought drugs from Vasquez, the charge said.
On May 31, the companion arranged another drug deal with Vasquez in north Minneapolis, after which undercover officers chased Vasquez and caught him, the charges said.
He admitted selling heroin to the companion both days, the charges said.
An autopsy showed signs of a recent injection in Eaton-Willson's right arm, but no other signs of trauma, injury or illness, the charges said.
Willson hopes that Vasquez's conviction in his daughter's death is an important step to setting legal precedent when it comes to drug dealers. He has not spoken with Vasquez, but plans to address him with a victim impact statement at sentencing.
"It's been a horrible journey and this was another step in that journey," he said. "None of this will bring her back, but all of it, at least, is hopefully building toward a better, more positive outcome for the next person."
asimons@startribune.com • 612-673-4921 pwalsh@startribune.com • 612-673-4482
