Woman sentenced for manslaughter in methadone overdose case

Lillie Rae Kise, 29, of Bemidji, was sentenced Tuesday, June 30, in Beltrami County District Court for serious felony second degree manslaughter - culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk.

Judge John Melbye sentenced Kise to 48 months in prison on the manslaughter conviction and dismissed two other felony charges of theft of moveable property and theft by check.

At 8 a.m. April 26, 2008, a call was received at the Beltrami County Dispatch Center from Kise, who stated that an individual at her residence was not breathing and unresponsive. Several deputies from the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office responded to the call and found a man administering CPR to an man lying on the floor. The deputy and investigator took over administering first aid to the individual, who was later identified as Christopher Anderson. They observed that Anderson was cold to the touch and that there was blood pooling on his back side as he lay on the floor. They also noticed that full rigor mortis had set in. Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy and subsequent toxicology report from the Hennepin County Medical Center showed that Anderson's blood and urine contained methadone and methadone metabolite. The final autopsy report determined that Anderson had died from an overdose of methadone.

In the apartment where Anderson was found, the deputies found two dosage bottles of methadone. One was in the name of Kise, with a label indicating that it was dispensed April 25, 2008, and was to be taken April 27, 2008. The other dosage bottle was in the name of another individual, dispensed April 25, to be taken on April 27.

Kise and the recipient of the other methadone dose were patients at Northern Lakes Clinic in Bemidji. After the Beltrami County Board denied renewal of the host county contract March 3, Northern Lakes Clinic closed May 29.