Two from Bemidji Charged with Murder After Overdose Death

James Dean Fairbanks

Becky Lyn Stough

A 43-year-old Bemidji woman and a 64-year-old Bemidji man are facing third-degree murder charges after a Bemidji man overdosed on a pill that contained fentanyl.

According to court documents, emergency responders were called to a house located on 708 Maple Ridge Ct. NW on June 29th and found the man dead in the home. The man’s significant other told authorities he bought opiates on the streets due to various health ailments and had recently taken a quarter of a pill he purchased called “Perc 30.”

Investigators learned the victim bought the pill from James Fairbanks, who lives in the Skyline Village trailer park. Fairbanks told police he bought that pill and three others from Becky Lyn Stough.

An autopsy determined the victim died from a fentanyl overdose, and a BCA lab determined the remaining portion of the pill the victim took contained fentanyl.

Bail for Stough was set at an unconditional $300,000, and Fairbanks’ conditional bail was set at $200,000. They both are scheduled to appear in court again on August 1st. If convicted, they could each face up to 25 years in prison, a $40,000 fine, or both.