Two unrelated heroin overdoses, two murder charges against dealers

Two men who sold heroin to two women who died of an overdose were charged with third-degree murder in the unrelated cases, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Wednesday.

Eric James Aguilera, 25, of Ramsey, was charged with one count of third-degree murder for selling a controlled substance. Gregory Anthony Loupe, 38, of Minneapolis, was charged with the same crime. Aguilera and Loupe are being held in the Hennepin County Jail and are scheduled to make their first court appearance Thursday.

According to the criminal complaint against Aguilera, on December 17, officers were sent to an apartment at 310 8th Street S.E. at about 4:45 a.m. after a man called 911 to report that his girlfriend had overdosed on heroin.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The boyfriend told the officers that the couple ingested heroin around midnight and went to bed about 1 a.m. When he woke up a few hours later, his girlfriend was unresponsive and he called 911. He told the police he had purchased the drugs from a man known as “Fatty.” A check of the boyfriend’s cell phone showed conversations between him and Aguilera from Dec. 14-17, according to the complaint.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined that the victim’s death was an accident caused by heroin toxicity as well as cocaine use, history of substance abuse and depression, the complaint states.

In the case of Loupe, officers were sent to a home in the 6800 block of Creston Road in Edina on April 7 because a woman there was unconscious. According to the criminal complaint, police found the victim’s juvenile daughters, C.D. and S.D., at the residence when they arrived. Their mother was pronounced dead by first responders. The autopsy revealed she died from a mix of drugs, including heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.

C.D. said she saw her mother leave for an errand around 7 p.m. April 6. The girl said she thought it was unusual that her mother would not allow her to come along, the complaint states. About 9:30 p.m., S.D. said her mother picked her up from a mall and appeared to be fine.

According to the complaint, S.D .said she saw her mother at about 11 p.m. before going to bed. The next morning, S.D. though it was unusual that her mother was sleeping late so she checked on her, found her unresponsive and called 911.

Officers searched the mother’s bedroom and found a brown substance, which later tested positive as heroin and fentanyl, and a number of pills. Officers also retrieved her cell phone, which showed communications between her and Loupe going back to mid-2017, according to the complaint. In those communications, she is asking to purchase various drugs from him, including on the evening of April 6.

Police obtained cellphone tower data for both her and Loupe and found GPS data from her phone that showed her approximately three houses away from Loupe’s house in North Minneapolis, the complaint states.

On June 15, officers executed a search warrant of Loupe’s home where they confiscated 27.55 grams of cocaine and 131.7 grams of marijuana, two handguns, ammunition and $2,127.

Aguilera Criminal Complaint (PDF)

Loupe Criminal Complaint (PDF)