Detectives used dead teen's phone to arrange another purchase of deadly drug, arrest dealer

A 23-year-old Colorado Springs man pleaded guilty last week to distributing a fatal dose of fentanyl and faces a minimum of 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in December.

Colorado Springs Police Department officers arrested Nathan Corser after detectives arranged a purchase of pills containing fentanyl - the same pills which led to the death of Kaeden Norlander. 

Norlander bought two pills from Corser at a Colorado Springs park on the 4th of July last year. He was found dead in his bedroom the next morning by his aunt. He was 19 years old at the time of his death.

According to the plea agreement in the case, Norlander's mother presented her son's cell phone to CSPD officers after his death. The text messages in the phone related to the purchase of the pills that allegedly killed Norlander. Additional text messages indicated Norlander had purchased various controlled substances from one particular contact for the month preceding his death.

Detectives took the phone and initiated a conversation with the seller of the drugs, Corser, who was at the time unaware of Norlander's passing. 

Within days, Corser sold an undercover officer five more pills at the front door of his apartment for $100. 

CSPD's crime lab analyzed the pills and found them to contain fentanyl.

A search warrant was issued July 15 at Corser's apartment. There, officers found 1,089 dosage units of 30mg morphine sulfate pills packaged in 13 small zip-top baggies with crosses on them, 108 dosage units of 200 mcg fentanyl buccal tablets in the manufacturer's packaging, two blue tablets with "M" and "30" imprinted on them which contained fentanyl, one loaded semi-automatic 9mm handgun, and a second loaded 9mm magazine, according to the plea agreement. 

Corser was taken into custody that day.

An autopsy found fentanyl and THC to be the only controlled substances in Norlander's system at the time of his death.

Federal prosecutors originally charged Corser with nine counts following Corser's indictment by a grand jury in October 2021. 

Corser was on probation for a 2019 Vehicular Assault-DUI case at the time of Norlander's passing. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 20.