GRAND FORKS, ND — A Crookston woman has been sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison after investigators said she sold fentanyl that contributed to a fatal overdose in East Grand Forks. Amber Rose Chapman, 37, was convicted Sept. 24 of third-degree murder, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years.
She received credit for 275 days already served and is currently held at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee. Court records list her anticipated release date as Dec. 4, 2034.
The case centered on the death of a 36-year-old woman found in an apartment shortly after midnight on April 8, 2025. A preliminary autopsy said she appeared to have died from an overdose.
How investigators linked the overdose to Chapman
According to court documents, East Grand Forks police found the woman dead at 12:42 a.m. after a man who had been in the apartment called for help. He told police he and the victim had smoked purple fentanyl about an hour earlier, and that he passed out after taking a light hit.
When he woke up, the woman was unresponsive. He told investigators it was only the second time he had used fentanyl, while the victim had been using it for about a week and a half.
Officers later found drug paraphernalia in the apartment, along with the victim’s laptop and phone. Those devices contained messages and payment records that authorities say connected the drug sale to Chapman.
Messages and payment records pointed to a drug deal
Investigators said the phone contained an April 7, 2025, message and a PayPal request for $30 from someone identified as “Amber Chap.” Court records also say the laptop held drug-related messages between Chapman and the victim.
Chapman told law enforcement she exchanged brown fentanyl for $30 and a nose piercing, then sent the PayPal request when she did not receive the money. She also said she gave the victim 0.1 grams of purple fentanyl.
Those details became part of the case that ended with her third-degree murder conviction. Prosecutors said the sale led to the death, even though the charge did not allege an intentional killing.
Other charge was dismissed at sentencing
Along with the murder conviction, Chapman had faced a second-degree controlled substance crime charge for sale within a prohibited zone. That count also carried a maximum sentence of 25 years.
However, the charge was dismissed. The sentencing focused on the murder conviction and the prison term imposed for the fatal overdose.
The court’s sentence means Chapman will serve a lengthy prison term, though her release date could change depending on how the sentence is calculated and any future custody issues. Court records currently list her expected release as late 2034.
Chapman was already under supervision in another case
Authorities said Chapman was on supervised release in Minnesota for a separate case when the overdose occurred. During a probation search of her residence, officers reported finding small amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl, along with other drug paraphernalia.
That search added to the record prosecutors reviewed as they built the case. It also showed Chapman was already under court supervision at the time investigators say she supplied the drugs tied to the death.
Court documents indicate the discovery of drugs in her residence came after the fatal overdose investigation had begun, broadening the picture of her contact with controlled substances.
Witness statements described repeated drug sales
Law enforcement also spoke with two other people who said they had received methamphetamine and fentanyl from Chapman. One person told investigators Chapman showed off a large rock of purple fentanyl, according to court documents.
Those statements helped establish a pattern that investigators say went beyond a single transaction. While the sentencing in this case focused on one fatal overdose, the witness accounts suggested Chapman had been involved in other drug distribution activity as well.
The case adds to a broader public safety problem in the region, where fentanyl has continued to drive overdoses and deaths. In this instance, prosecutors said the sale of the drug directly preceded the woman’s death and led to a conviction with a lengthy prison sentence.