(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. – A California woman already facing homicide charges in a 2022 Kenosha overdose death has now been charged in a second fatality that occurred just days later in the same apartment.
(Kenosha County Sheriff)
Kelly M. Shondel, 46, was charged Friday with first-degree reckless homicide in the September 21, 2022 death of 36-year-old Branon Fagan. She is already charged in the September 17, 2022 death of Timothy Raines, who died from acute mixed drug intoxication inside Shondel’s 6th Avenue apartment.
(Photo Taken With Fagan’s Permission by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Fagan’s father, Patrick Fagan, appeared in court with his daughters Friday and asked the court to revoke her previous bail and order the defendant to be held without bail. In Wisconsin, however, courts must issue bails for all defendants. Court Commissioner William Michel II ordered $750,000 cash bail, the same amount previously set in the Raines case.
(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
According to the new criminal complaint, Fagan was found slumped over on Shondel’s couch four days after Raines’ death. Police discovered drug paraphernalia throughout the apartment, including crack cocaine, spoons with residue, baggies, and cell phones.
An autopsy later determined that Fagan died from mixed drug toxicity involving fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and lorazepam.
Investigators also uncovered text messages on Shondel’s phone showing her involvement in drug transactions and her use of coded terms like “groceries” for drugs. Detectives said she admitted to previously dealing drugs and acknowledged possessing crack cocaine in her apartment at the time Fagan was there.
Shondel, arrested in California in late July, was extradited to Kenosha earlier this month. She now faces two counts of first-degree reckless homicide, each carrying a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison.
Her preliminary hearing in the Fagan case is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.
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4 Responses
If she didn’t put the fent in herself this is a fricking witch hunt. The dead losers got what they wanted.
I can understand charging her as a drug dealer but I don’t get charging her with murder. If I sell a firearm to another individual and he commits suicide with it, should I be charged with murder? I don’t think so.
I hope the jurors can understand this is abuse of law to send a message…. drug dealers are not forcing anyone to take these drugs and the only crime drug dealers are guilty of is selling illegal substances, and possibly evading taxes.
I get it, it’s sad when people use drugs that kill them, but charging the seller with homicide or even manslaughter is a stretch. Drug users know the risks nowadays, fentanyl is in nearly every street drug, narcan, fent test strips… there are ways people that want to abuse drugs a little safer can curb their risk.
Not guilty