GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. -- A 49-year-old Grand Rapids man has been charged with giving his wife a lethal dose of the painkilling drug Fentanyl.
Terry Wayne Richards was charged with third degree murder for allegedly buying the drug and giving it to his wife at their home Friday.
Police were called to a medical emergency at their home at 9:48 p.m. Friday, and found a woman with no pulse. She was taken to a Grand Rapids hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Authorities have not released her name.
According to the criminal complaint, Richards told police that he purchased a 100 milligram Fentanyl patch for $150; that he recovered the drug from the patch; and that he and his wife then injected the drug. He said he left the house for five minutes and returned to find her unresponsive in a chair.
Richards appeared Monday in the Itasca County Courthouse in Grand Rapids. He is being held without bail on the murder charge, and on a probation violation.
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According to the complaint “Richards stated that his wife had overdosed before and that he has been able to bring her back by throwing water on her.” He said that method did not work Friday.
Fentanyl, also known by several brand names, is a strong synthetic opioid often used to treat excessive pain, and before medical procedures. Health officials have said Fentanyl is 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine and many times more potent than heroin.
Richards’ next court appearance is set for Oct. 6.
