Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Role in Sauk Rapids Teen’s Fentanyl Overdose Death

(KNSI) – A Benton County judge sentenced Fox James Bellanger to over six years in prison on Friday for his role in the fentanyl overdose death of a 16-year-old.

Bellanger pleaded guilty in July to second-degree manslaughter in connection with the March 2nd, 2024, death of Peyton Harrison Niswi Jensen. He was the final defendant to be sentenced, following earlier convictions of Crystal Marie Swenson, Jensen’s mother, and Anthony James Costello, Swenson’s boyfriend at the time. In June, Swenson was sentenced to three and a half years in prison, while Costello received a four-year sentence.

The tragedy began when Bellanger sold fentanyl-tainted cocaine to Swenson, who then gave the drugs to her son. According to court records, Costello had given Jensen money to get cocaine. After Jensen obtained the drugs, he and Costello used them together. The teen overdosed shortly afterward.

An autopsy confirmed that fentanyl toxicity caused Jensen’s death. The case was prosecuted by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office at the request of Benton County Attorney Kathleen Reuter, using a state law provision that allows the attorney general to handle criminal cases when requested by county prosecutors. The Sauk Rapids Police Department conducted the investigation.

“Crimes like these are absolutely heartbreaking. I’m praying for the young man that lost his life, as well as for his friends, family, and loved ones,” Ellison said in a statement. “Fentanyl has caused enormous harm in every corner of Minnesota, and far too many Minnesotans have had to grapple with the pain and grief of losing someone they care about to this deadly drug.”

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