Albert Lea woman sentenced to staggered jail sentence in overdose death of sister

Published 1:48 pm Friday, February 2, 2024

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An Albert Lea woman on Friday was sentenced to staggered jail terms over the next four years, along with 10 years of supervised probation, in the overdose death of her sister in February 2021.

Jeanne Ellen Penhollow, 50, in November pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree murder as an accomplice after the fact. She was accused of providing pills to her sister, Teresa Marie Conway, that ultimately proved fatal.

The sentence came three years exactly since Conway was found dead on the floor of the garage of their parents’ house in rural Chatfield. The results of the autopsy found that Conway’s cause of death was toxic effects of fentanyl and oxycodone.

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Penhollow initially faced three additional counts in the case, including one count of third-degree murder-sell/give/distribute controlled substance, one count of third-degree narcotics sales and one charge of fourth-degree sales.

As part of the sentence, Penhollow will serve six months in the Fillmore County Jail over a series of four years, including 60 days each year for the first two years and then 30 days per year for the next two years. She will also serve six months of home detention with a drug patch after she gets out of jail the first year and complete a chemical dependency evaluation.

If she goes to inpatient treatment immediately following her release from jail, the home detention and drug patch will be delayed until completion of her inpatient treatment.

The sentence is classified as a stay of adjudication, in which the charge will be dismissed if the terms are met.