Cass Lake man found guilty of 3rd-degree murder after January 2022 drug-related death

The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·2 min read

Jun. 9—BEMIDJI — A Cass Lake man has been found guilty of third-degree murder in the drug-related death of a woman that took place in January 2022.

According to a release from Beltrami County Attorney David Hanson, after the conclusion of a four-day trial on Thursday, June 8, a Beltrami County jury found Clyde Lee Reyes, Jr. of Cass Lake guilty of a single count of third-degree murder for selling, giving and/or distributing a controlled substance — schedules I and II.

According to court documents, on Jan. 2, 2022, members of the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office and Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force responded to a call to investigate an unresponsive female as a possible victim of a drug overdose.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy concluded that the cause of death was a fentanyl overdose. After a thorough investigation, law enforcement learned that Reyes had sold the victim fentanyl earlier that day, the documents said.

Hanson expressed his condolences to the victim's family, adding that this is the second third-degree murder conviction for the sale of fentanyl in recent months.

"(I am) proud of the hard work of local law enforcement for going after distributors of narcotics," Hanson said in the release. "(I'm) concerned about the amount of fentanyl that is wreaking havoc in Beltrami County, and (my) office will continue to aggressively prosecute drug dealers for the harm that they are doing to our community."

A sentencing hearing will be held at 9 a.m. on July 27, at the Beltrami County Courthouse.

"(I) would like to thank all of the hard-working members of the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office and the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force who investigated this crime," Hanson said. "(I) would also like to thank all of the staff of the Beltrami County Attorney's office who put in many hours on this matter, specifically, Chief Assistant County Attorney David Frank, Assistant County Attorney Ashley Nelson, Legal Assistant Ashlee Zetah and Victim Services Coordinator Riley Irish."