Probation For Murder Conviction Linked to Chatfield Teen’s Death

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Preston, Mn (KROC-AM News) - An Owatonna man has been given a stayed 10-year prison sentence for a third-degree murder conviction stemming from the death of a Chatfield teenager.

22-year-old Nelson Soro, who previously lived in Minneapolis, will be on probation for 10 years and was also given a one-year jail sentence, although he was granted credit for 187 days he has already served in jail. In addition, he will be required to complete an inpatient chemical dependency treatment program.

Soro admitted to the murder count in August as part of a plea agreement that resulted in the dismissal of three felony drug charges. He was accused of supplying pills laced with fentanyl to the teenager, who was found dead in his mother's apartment in Chatfield in April 2020. An autopsy determined his death was the result of the toxic effects of fentanyl.

The plea agreement also covered a robbery and assault that occurred in Chatfield in November 2020. He admitted to a felony charge of simple robbery and a misdemeanor assault charge for taking $2400 while visiting a man and woman in their apartment and punching the couple when they tried to stop him from leaving with their money.

Soro's criminal history also includes a conviction stemming from a home invasion in Rochester in 2019. He was 19 years old when he and two other teenagers were accused of barging into an apartment with guns and assaulting one of the residents. He was also sentenced to probation in that case.