SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A Yankton man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for knowingly distributing fentanyl that killed a Vermillion teenager just days before Christmas in 2023.
Evan Nelson pleaded guilty last fall to the distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death after being indicted by a Yankton County grand jury in September 2024 on three felony counts.
Prosecutors said Nelson sold fentanyl-laced pills to 15-year-old Kelcy Orr in December 2023, knowing the pills contained the deadly synthetic opioid. Kelcy died after taking just one pill. She died on Dec. 23, 2023, two days before Christmas.
Kelcy was a student at Vermillion High School, where she excelled academically and athletically. She broke a 22-year-old Yankton record in the 4×200 relay and placed seventh at the South Dakota State Track and Field meet in the 4×200-meter relay.
The man who supplied the pills to Nelson, Udda Kobaba, was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Since Kelcy’s death, her parents worked to raise awareness about the fentanyl crisis by sharing their story publicly, participating in the Emily’s Hope support group, and advocating for a free naloxone distribution box at Vermillion’s Pump ‘N Pak convenience store.
Kelcy’s father, Jim Orr, died last year, leaving her mother, Jenny Orr, without any immediate family.
“This loss has affected every aspect of our life,” Jenny Orr said in a victim impact statement to the court, according to KELOLAND Media Group. “The defendant’s conscious disregard for human life has real measurable costs.”
During Monday’s sentencing hearing, prosecutors called a drug agent who testified about jail phone calls Nelson made to family members while awaiting trial, according to KELOLAND.
The agent told the court Nelson said in one call that Kelcy’s death should not be his fault. The agent testified there “was not a lot of remorse.”
In another recorded phone call, the agent said Nelson bragged to his sister about getting his first prison tattoo — dice featuring the seven pills that killed Kelcy. Nelson’s attorney told the court the comments were an attempt to posture as he came to terms with the reality of going to prison, according to KELOLAND.
