A 24-year-old man was found dead of an apparent overdose inside a Chisago Lake Township home after deputies responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive male.
Morgan Kathryn Johnson, 26, of Shafer, faces a charge of 3rd-degree murder for providing the controlled substance that led to the victim’s death, according to a complaint filed Thursday in Chisago County District Court.
Deputies arrived at the residence on 318th Street on March 19, 2025 and found the victim lying partially in the bathroom and hallway, with blue skin and locked limbs. The complaint states deputies believed the victim was already deceased and contacted the medical examiner. The victim was identified as a 24-year-old man.
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Inside the home, deputies spoke with Johnson, the homeowner, and her young daughter. Johnson told deputies she had reconnected with the victim a few days earlier and that he had been dropped off at her house on March 17. She said they spent time together the day before his death, watched movies and that she went to sleep after taking medication around 1:30 a.m.
Johnson claimed she woke up around noon and found the victim slumped over the toilet and called 911 about 15 minutes later.
Investigators found a cell phone next to the victim. Johnson admitted she had hidden the phone in a clothes hamper because she was afraid it would connect her to drug activity, but later retrieved it and gave it to investigators. Johnson told officers the victim had purchased fentanyl from a man named Mike in Chisago City, whom she said she did not know personally.
Investigators identified “Mike” as Michael Lawrence Bunde, who was suspected of dealing powdered fentanyl. A search warrant executed at Bunde’s residence turned up an iPhone containing videos of Johnson smoking a substance in Bunde’s bedroom. In one video, Bunde is seen handing Johnson a small plastic baggie. Other videos show Johnson and Bunde smoking a substance from tinfoil, with Johnson appearing to pass out. The victim does not appear in any of these videos.
Data extracted from the victim’s phone and witness interviews helped investigators reconstruct the days leading up to the death. On March 18, location data placed the victim in Shafer, where Johnson messaged him about needing to find another source for drugs. A witness confirmed Johnson visited his shop in Shafer that day to purchase heroin or fentanyl, but he said he did not sell her anything.
Johnson is charged with 3rd-degree murder for providing the controlled substance that resulted in the victim’s death. The charge was filed Thursday, July 2.
A court date has not yet been set.
About This Charge
In Minnesota, homicide charges fall under three degrees: § 609.185 (first-degree murder), § 609.19 (second-degree murder) and § 609.195 (third-degree murder). First-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence; second-degree convictions are presumptive 12 to 40 years; third-degree up to 25 years. The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission publishes guideline ranges that judges follow except where specific aggravating or mitigating factors are on the record.
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