Minnesota teen's OD leads to murder charge

BLAINE, Minn., March 19 (UPI) -- A Minnesota man is facing murder charges after a teenager died and 11 were hospitalized after overdosing on a hallucinogenic drug, authorities say.

Trevor Robinson, who had just turned 19, died after a party in Blaine, Minn., Thursday, and Timothy Lamere, 21, was arrested on suspicion of third-degree murder Friday, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Eleven other partygoers, ages 16 to 21, were hospitalized.

The Anoka County Sheriff's Office said Lamere provided his friends with 2C-E, which is not listed as a controlled substance. But a Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman said it is illegal under the Federal Analog Act, since it is similar to the outlawed 2C-B.

Jake Kruse, 19, who was hospitalized, said the drug, "hits you hard right away and then hits you again 20 minutes after that."

He said Robinson's "eyes were fluttering, his arms flailing. He punched a hole in the wall. He had no control."

The group tried giving Robinson CPR, then mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and took him to Unity Hospital in Fridley, where he was removed from life support Thursday afternoon.

2C-E can be fatal combined with other drugs, including alcohol, said Carol Falkowski, a drug abuse official of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.