Gisela Tervola and Dillon Church. (Ilona Tervola, Stearns County Sheriff’s Office)
Breckenridge, MN – A woman from Fergus Falls is fighting for justice after her mother was killed by a driver that prosecutors say was intoxicated. Ilona Tervola says her mother Gisela would be turning 84 years old today if it wasn’t for a tragic car accident last October, “This is not a little case, this is a big deal. There’s a major war going on and more people need to step up.”
Gisela Tervola was born in Germany and moved to the U.S. in 1964. A mother of four daughters, she was outgoing, funny, stubborn, and sincere. Ilona says her mom participated in many activities around town and worked throughout her life to give back to her community.
However, on October 14th, 2024, Gisela’s life would be cut short on State Highway 210 near Breckenridge after prosecutors say a man under the influence of drugs drove into an opposing lane of traffic and struck her car. 31-year-old Dillon Todd Church of Parkers Prairie told authorities that near the time of the collision, he had been on his phone, attempting to connect to his car’s Bluetooth, when he looked up and saw that he was in the opposing lane. He denied that he had used methamphetamine despite first responders finding a pipe with meth inside it on him.
At a Fargo hospital a few hours later, prosecutors say Church initially denied a blood draw despite a North Dakota Trooper providing a warrant. Law enforcement soon after obtained a blood sample through a medical request warrant. Testing from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension showed that Church’s blood had .167 mg of amphetamine per liter of blood and 1.07 mg of meth per liter. Ilona says, “My mother had to be sent to Hennepin County, her body, for an autopsy. Get real. They can send her for an autopsy immediately and he’s lying there and refusing drug testing? Just horrified that that’s even allowed.”
Two months later, a warrant was issued for Church’s arrest, and he was charged with two counts of Vehicular Manslaughter and a DWI charge. The accident that killed Gisela Tervola was not the first time Church was arrested related to drugs. In 2024 alone, Church was arrested three times in Douglas County for drug related or DWI charges. When he was being processed in jail for the first of those arrests, authorities say they found over 25 grams of methamphetamine and 9 grams of fentanyl in his underwear.
Over the last few months, Gisela’s daughter Ilona has been working with State Prosecutor Derek Ganzhorn to make sure her mother receives justice and the maximum sentence is served. She says, “I mean vehicular homicide is basically murder. She was alive and as a result of somebody else’s actions she’s now dead. It’s murder, plain and simple.”
Along with fighting in her mother’s case, Ilona is advocating for lawmakers to create stronger laws against drug use, especially when a vehicle is involved. She says, “It’s horrific. I believe it’s actually way worse than alcohol.”
Ilona says that in the fight against drugs, there needs to be community support and awareness. She’s asking people to reach out to their legislators and attorneys fighting these kinds of drug cases and show their support for stronger drug laws. “As a citizen and as a human, whatever I can do pave the way to make roads safer, to change drug laws, I’m going to do it.”
Church is currently awaiting trial, which is set to begin on May 7th with a pre-trial hearing on April 15th.
