UPDATE: Albert Lea woman pleads guilty in drug sale that led to sister’s death

By KAALTV

Jeanne Penhollow / Fillmore County Sheriff's Office

(ABC 6 News) – An Albert Lea woman pleaded guilty to 3rd-degree murder–accomplice after the fact in the death of her sister, who overdosed on oxycodone and fentanyl in 2021.

Jeanne Ellen Penhollow, 50, was accused of supplying the fatal drugs to her sister, who was found dead of an overdose in rural Chatfield Feb. 2, 2021.

According to court documents, Penhollow’s niece, the daughter of the deceased woman, told law enforcement that Penhollow admitted to giving her sister pills over text, but said she hadn’t heard of “anything bad” happening to other clients.

The text exchange allegedly took place in December of 2021, more than 10 months after Penhollow’s sister’s death.

Penhollow’s plea agreement outlines an unusual sentence — in exchange for her plea, and the agreement of Penhollow’s family, the Albert Lea woman will spend 6 months in jail over the course of four years.

According to court documents, Penhollow agreed to serve 60 days in jail each year for the first two years of her probation, then 30 days per year for the third and fourth years of probation.

Penhollow also agreed to spend 6 months in “home detention” after she serves her first 60 days of jail in year one.

Penhollow’s plea agreement states that the prosecution has agreed to a stay of adjudication, meaning that if Penhollow completes her sentencing and probation without incident, the incident may be removed from her criminal record.

Her sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2024.

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(ABC 6 News) – UPDATE: An Albert Lea woman is scheduled to stand trial on charges of 3rd-degree murder after allegedly supplying her sister with fatal drugs.

Jeanne Ellen Penhollow, 50, was scheduled for a plea hearing in Fillmore County Court Monday, Feb. 6.

Penhollow demanded a jury trial at the hearing, instead of entering a guilty plea, according to Minnesota court records.

Penhollow faces one charge of 3rd-degree murder–sell/give/distribute controlled substance, one charge of 3rd-degree murder–accomplice after the fact, and one charge each of 3rd- and 4th-degree drug sale after allegedly providing oxycodone and fentanyl to her sister, who died after taking the provided drugs.

ABC 6 News previously reported that in 3rd-degree murder cases related to drug sales, the prosecution must prove several factors — that the suspect on trial sold the victim the drug, the time of the alleged sale and overdose, and that the drugs were victim’s cause of death.

Fillmore County Court has scheduled a settlement hearing for Penhollow May 30.

If the case is not settled, she is scheduled to stand trial on murder and drug sale charges June 19.

(ABC 6 News) – An Albert Lea woman is scheduled to enter a plea after being charged with contributing to a fatal Chatfield overdose in 2021.

Jeanne Ellen Penhollow, 50, is scheduled to appear at a plea hearing in Fillmore County Court Feb. 6.

Penhollow’s plea agreement has not yet been made available online.

According to court documents, the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in rural Chatfield Feb. 2, 2021 and found Penhollow’s sister dead. An autopsy revealed that her cause of death was an oxycodone and fentanyl overdose.

The text exchange allegedly took place in December of 2021, more than 10 months after Penhollow’s sister’s death.

According to court documents, Penhollow later told law enforcement she had procured the pills from “close friends and family,” and did not divulge her source. She also told law enforcement that she found the remains of 1.5 of three pills her sister had partially crushed in a dish the day after her death.

According to court documents, Penhollow said she threw the remains of the pills out the window after finding them.

Further court documents allege that law enforcement procured a broken phone that had previously belonged to Penhollow, which she may have smashed and discarded shortly after her sister’s death.

According to court documents, the discarded phone provided evidence that Penhollow had been asked by her sister to buy pain medication for her, and had image-searched for M30 pills.

According to court documents, Penhollow’s defense attempted to dismiss the case, then suppress evidence that Penhollow had texted her admission to her niece, then given the above statements to law enforcement. The defense also attempted to suppress evidence retrieved from Penhollow’s broken phone.

All three of the suppression attempts were denied by Fillmore County Court.

Penhollow’s plea hearing is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Monday, Feb. 6.