A man who admitted to buying the drugs his fiancée took before she died pleaded guilty to a third-degree controlled substance crime on Wednesday in Dakota County.
Dennis J. Rivers, 29, was originally charged with third-degree murder in the death of Heidi Hanson, 46, who died after taking cocaine and methadone at her Inver Grove Heights home in September 2010. He confessed to having purchased the drugs she ingested.
But the autopsy report from the Ramsey County medical examiner's office was unable to pinpoint the drugs as Hanson's cause of death, said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom.
For pleading guilty to the controlled substance charge, Rivers will serve 364 days in jail and up to 10 years on probation.
If he violates the conditions of his probation, which include chemical dependency treatment and staying drug- and alcohol-free, he could serve a 21-month prison sentence.
KATIE HUMPHREY
