By: Devin Fry
EAST GRAND FORKS, Minn. (Valley News Live) -A Bemidji woman accused of selling the fentanyl that killed a 20-year-old in East Grand Forks is scheduled to make her first court appearance Monday, months after a co-defendant was convicted and sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
Megan Kelly Thorsen, 31, is set to appear in Polk County District Court for the first time on a third-degree murder charge stemming from the August 2025 overdose death. Thorsen had been serving a sentence in North Dakota prior to today’s appearance.
The Case
On Aug. 19, 2025, East Grand Forks police responded to an apartment in the 1900 block of 5th Avenue NE just before 10 a.m. for a reported fentanyl overdose. Officers found a 20-year-old woman unresponsive on the floor of a bedroom. Emergency medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.
Investigators traced an $80 Cash App payment from the victim’s phone, sent in the early morning hours before her death, to Thorsen. According to a criminal complaint, a second woman told police she had arranged the fentanyl purchase through Thorsen, met her in an alley behind Deek’s Pizza in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and gave a portion of the drug to the victim.
Thorsen was arrested Aug. 21-22, 2025, in Grand Forks while driving a blue Jeep. Investigators say she admitted fentanyl was in her bra. Officers also found fentanyl in her purse and packaging materials in the vehicle. According to the complaint, Thorsen told investigators she had warned the other woman not to let anyone use the fentanyl alone “because it was so strong.”
Co-Defendant Already Sentenced
Rachel Keturah Boswell was convicted of third-degree murder in connection with the same death and sentenced to 86 months, just over seven years, at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee. She received credit for 89 days already served.
Thorsen’s Criminal History
Court records show Thorsen has an extensive criminal history in Minnesota and North Dakota, including a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to sell methamphetamine and a prior felony conviction for possession with intent to deliver fentanyl.
Prosecutors have filed notice they will seek an aggravated sentence, arguing Thorsen qualifies as a dangerous offender under Minnesota law. The third-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
