Man charged with third degree murder

Erick Lee Alvarado of Arlington was chared with third degree murder in the drug-related death of a Winthrop resident.
On May 21, 2023, Winthrop Police Office Reed Mitchell responded to a call of an unresponsive male at 413 West 6th Street. There Mitchell found Jose Roberto Cardenas Jr on his bed with his back against the wall and was cold to the touch, according to the complaint filed in Sibley County Court on January 3. He was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead.
During the next five months, a search including phone records, Facebook, Snapshot and other electronic records containing communications between Cardenas and others.
According to the complaint, a text message on May 19 had Cardenas asking for some M30s and the defendant indicted he could get them. The defendant told him where to leave the money. The next day, the defendant told him to pick up the pills at a residence in Nicollet. Cell phone data confirms Cardenas was at that residence at 6:08 p.m. on May 20. He was found the following morning.
An autopsy confirmed the presence of fentanyl.
If convicted of the felony, Alvarado could face up to 25 years imprisonment, a $40,000 fine or both.