know better sleep. ♪ >>> tara fitzgerald's friends and family had gotten a lesson they never asked fore too late to save tara from a synthetic drug overdose. >> we're not taught how dangerous it really is and how unstable the chemicals can be. >> the kids don't know how deadly these drugs are. there's not enough information that's being pushed out to the public. you hear a lot about things like heroin and cocaine and meth. but something like these synthetics is far deadlier in tiny dosage. >> prosecutors handling the first synthetic drug death in woodbury now had five defendants, including three high school students. the two adults, who knew they were selling 25-i and profited from the drugs, were charged not with drug sales but with murder. why homicide? >> in minnesota, there's murder in the third degree. it's a pretty open statute that says if you sell a substance, a schedule one or two substance, that leads to the death, you're guilty of murder. >> both adults pleaded guilty to third degree murder. the main supplier, alexander clausen, was sentenced to six years in prison while col

minnesota police department was trying to find out how one small dose of a drug killed 17-year-old tara fitzgerald. tara thought she was taking lsd but the local drug task force team suspected she'd taken something else. >> we're pretty sure it's some type of synthetic drug, either that we've heard about or don't know about. >> a synthetic drug? >> yes. >> reporter: the term synthetic drugs refers to a new class of narcotics developed in just the last seven years. they are made from chemicals that can be unpredictable and are sometimes sold masquerading as other better known drugs. tara's case was the first time police in this suburb were dealing with a synthetic drug and tara's friends say they knew little, if anything about this new class of drugs. >> i know in our health class, which all high schoolers are required to take, they do speak of synthetic drugs. but it is kind of made out to seem like one of those you're not really gonna see it in your life kind of drugs. >> are there lots of drugs in the high school? >> it was casual to hear about marijuana and alcohol in our grade or in our high s

unimaginable. >> reporter: tara fitzgerald was no typical teenager. at least that's what her closest friends say. >> she looked at the world so much deeper and with so much more meaning than anyone that i have met. >> reporter: most people were worried about prom dresses and she was worried about what kinds of things? >> she was very philosophical. she wanted to -- she wanted to know how the world worked and how the universe worked and how god worked. >> i'd consider her an old soul. >> such an old soul. >> yeah. [ laughter ] >> reporter: but tara also had a lighter, more carefree side. >> "quirky" is the key word when it comes to tara. 'cause she -- she did have kind of a different sense of humor, and it -- she knew how to make everyone laugh. >> she liked to make faces. and her and her friends would just act goofy sometimes and >> reporter: she lived with her parents, tom and mai, and her little sister in the quiet suburban city of woodbury, minnesota, not far from the twin cities. >> tara was a really energetic kid from a very young age. >> reporte

unimaginle >> rorter: tara fitzgerald was no typical tnage at least that's what her closest friendsay. >> she lked at the world so mucheeper and with smuch more meaninghan anyone thai have met. >> reporte mt oplee worried abt om drees and was worried about what kinds of thi >> she was very philosopcal. she want to -- she wand to kn how the world worked and how the universeorkeand how d worked. >> i'd consider her an oldoul. >> such an old soul. >> yh. [ laughter ] >> reporter: but tara also h a lighte more carefree sid "quirky" is the key word when it comes to tara.

. >> reporter: 17-year-old tara fitzgerald was an honor roll student, never in trouble, not into parties or drugs. but her friends in wood bury, minnesota, say she was curious about the drug lsd. >> she assured me it's not dangerous, and i didn't know anything about it. so i assumed that she must be doing her research on it. >> reporter: during a sleepover, tara and a friend took what they thought were tiny tabs of lsd. by morning, tara was dead. >> you hear this terrible story on tv, and you hear all this tragedy. could happen to your kids. >> reporter: a traj gedy tragedy, but also for investigators in this small town, a mystery. lsd rarely caused a fatal overdose. turns out tara had actually overdosed on a synthetic drug, a far more dangerous chemical called 25 i, often sold mass carrizing as lsd. >> that's the drug on that little tiny pink piece of paper? >> it's smaller than my pinky fingernail. >> reporter: 25 i was made illegal in the u.s. just months before tara died. >> you're talking about an industry that's killing our kids. >> reporter: the head of the dea says new power synt

unimaginle >> rorter: tara fitzgerald was no typical tnage at least that's what her closest friendsay. >> she lked at the world so mucheeper and with smuch more meaninghan anyone thai have met. >> reporte mt oplee worried abt om drees and was worried about what kinds of thi >> she was very philosopcal. she want to -- she wand to kn how the world worked and how the universeorkeand how d worked. >> i'd consider her an oldoul. >> such an old soul. >> yh. [ laughter ] >> reporter: but tara also h a lighte more carefree sid "quirky" is the key word when it comes to tara. of a dferent sense of hur, anit -- she knewow to make everyone eryone laugh. >> she liked to make faces. and her and her friendwould ju act goofyometimes and th -theynj that. reporter: she lith her pant tom and mai, and her little sister in the quiet suburban city of woodbury, minnesota, not far fm thtwin cities. >> tara was a really energetic kid from a very young e. >> reporter:ording to her dad, she was a bit of a daredevil. >> yes, i got it. >> she liked to dokateboding and climbing walls. she'd do the -- tubing. rr:n

. >> reporter: tara fitzgerald's friends say she was an old soul. >> very philosophical. she wanted to -- she wanted to know how the world worked and how the universe worked and how god worked. >> reporter: but the honor roll student also loved music and adventure. so her friendes say they weren't shocked when she told them she wanted to try lsd during a sleepover with a girlfriend at her house. >> she was really into the beatles and they obviously talk about that kind of thing in their songs. tara taken just moments after she took the drug. >> the reason they had selected the night of the 10th was because tara's parents were going to be gone in the morning sister. >> reporter: tara and her friend planned it all out and as teenagers do, they had their friends out taking photos and videos. this is some of the video taken that night. the video showed investigators giggly high -- >> how do you feel, tara? >> i don't know. >> reporter: -- to this. tara lying unresponsive on the basement floor. she was in serious trouble. but her friend never woke tara's parents who were right