Benson man arrested on murder charges for Willmar drug death

A Benson man has been arrested and faces murder charges in Kandiyohi County for the drug-related death of a man in Willmar.

According to KWLM, a warrant was issued for the arrest of 27-year-old Lateef Mahaffey last August after he was identified as a suspect in the death of a man who was found dead in his bathtub in September of 2022. The man died of fentanyl toxicity, and Mahaffey and Mercedes Carpenter of Maynard were accused of providing him with the drugs.

Mahaffey was arrested on Saturday and booked into the Kandiyohi County Jail Tuesday on charges of 3rd Degree Murder, 2nd Degree Manslaughter and 3rd Degree Drugs.

Co-Defendant Mercedes Carpenter has an upcoming court hearing after investigators finished retrieving data from her cell phone.