KENOSHA, Wis. — Kevin R. Siler, 42, of Kenosha, was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon in connection with the 2019 shooting death of his friend, Joseph Christol, 35, inside Christol’s Pleasant Prairie home.

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Kenosha County Circuit Judge Jason Rossell sentenced Siler to five years of initial confinement followed by five years of extended supervision — the maximum sentence available for the Class G felony. Siler received credit for 724 days already spent in custody. Kenosha County District Attorney Xavier Solis and defense attorney Natalie Wisco jointly recommended the maximum sentence, and Rossell followed their recommendation.

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Siler apologized in court to Christol’s family, his own family and the court. “I would never intentionally do anything to hurt Joey,” Siler said. “I wish I could bring him back more than anything in this world.”

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Before imposing the sentence, Rossell spoke at length about individual rights in America, including voting and firearm ownership, and the responsibility that comes with exercising those rights. “I love this country because we give rights without checking to make sure you can exercise them responsibly,” Rossell said. The judge used voting as one example, noting that everyone has the right to vote and discussing the legal process that can be required to determine whether someone with significant disabilities is capable of understanding what they are doing when voting.

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Rossell then turned to gun rights, noting that Americans who follow the applicable legal requirements can possess certain powerful weapons and accessories, including machine guns and silencers. “We don’t ask the question, can you do it responsibly?” Rossell said. The judge said Siler’s case demonstrated the potentially deadly consequences of mixing firearms with extreme intoxication and heightened emotions. Whether someone is depressed, struggling over a gun, angry about an offhand comment or simply “goofing off,” Rossell said, having a firearm present while severely intoxicated can lead to irreversible consequences. “Having a firearm around is the worst thing that’s possible,” Rossell said.

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Wisco made a similar point during her sentencing argument, telling Rossell that Siler and Christol were both extremely intoxicated and handling firearms on the night Christol died, calling their conduct an “incredibly terrible and dangerous decision.” Wisco acknowledged that a felony conviction was appropriate and told the court that if Siler could not responsibly possess a firearm, he should not be allowed to have one. She also told Rossell that Christol was Siler’s best friend, that the death continues to haunt Siler and that much of Siler’s subsequent criminal history occurred after Christol’s death.

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Rossell also addressed Siler’s actions following Christol’s death, recalling previous comments made in court by Christol’s brother. Rossell said his recollection was that much of the family’s frustration centered not on the shooting itself, but on Siler failing to immediately come forward and explain what happened. The judge acknowledged that Siler may have been frightened about what would happen to him or worried that people would believe the incident was worse than he claimed, but said Siler’s actions caused additional pain for Christol’s family. “They have a right to have closure. They have a right to know what happened to their loved one,” Rossell said.

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The homicide occurred on Sept. 13 or 14, 2019, inside Christol’s home in the Carol Beach neighborhood of Pleasant Prairie. Christol was discovered dead Sept. 16 after a friend became concerned when he failed to report for work. Police found Christol with a gunshot wound to the head and recovered two firearms from the residence. Investigators also reported finding what appeared to be freshly punched holes in a wall inside the home.

Investigators determined that Siler had been drinking heavily with Christol before the shooting. According to the criminal complaint, a witness told police that Siler traveled to Arizona after Christol’s death and admitted he had been present when the gun discharged. Siler reportedly said he did not know whether he or Christol had been holding the firearm when it fired. Siler’s mother also told investigators that her son came home crying and said he believed Christol was dead but claimed he could not remember exactly what happened because he had been drinking heavily.

The investigation remained unresolved for years until a Kenosha County Jail inmate contacted Pleasant Prairie police in 2024 and claimed that a man known as “Kev-OG” had admitted shooting a friend and making the death appear to be a suicide. Detectives later determined that Siler used the nickname “Kev-OG.” Investigators also reported finding Siler’s DNA on evidence recovered from the scene and his fingerprint on one of the firearms.

Siler was originally charged in August 2024 by embattled former Deputy District Attorney Carli McNeill with homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon — the same Class G felony to which Siler ultimately pleaded guilty in June and for which he was sentenced Thursday. At Siler’s initial appearance, McNeill personally appeared for the prosecution and argued for a $250,000 cash bond. Court Commissioner William “Bargain Bail Billy” Michel II ultimately set Siler’s bail at $150,000 cash.

After Siler was bound over for trial, however, McNeill personally increased the charge to second-degree reckless homicide, a substantially more serious Class D felony carrying a maximum penalty of 25 years. The upgrade came shortly before McNeill left the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office and before Xavier Solis, who defeated McNeill in the 2024 election for district attorney, took office. The timing raised eyebrows among courthouse insiders, particularly because McNeill herself had initially prosecuted Siler under the negligent-homicide charge. Sources familiar with the case previously told KCE that the more serious second-degree reckless homicide charge would have been significantly more difficult for the state to prove.

In June, Solis filed an amended information returning the prosecution to homicide by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon — the same serious felony McNeill herself originally charged in August 2024. Siler pleaded guilty to that charge on June 24. Wisco specifically referenced that history during Thursday’s sentencing, telling Rossell that “the charge that was pled to was what was originally filed in the criminal complaint” and noting that the charge had subsequently been increased after the preliminary hearing.

Despite returning the prosecution to the original charge, Solis did not ask Rossell for leniency. Instead, Solis and Wisco jointly asked Rossell to impose the maximum sentence available for the offense — five years behind bars followed by five years of extended supervision. Rossell agreed. “Maximum sentence, especially for what’s all gone on here, is the appropriate sentence,” Rossell said before imposing five years of initial confinement and five years of extended supervision.

Rossell ordered Siler to participate in any counseling deemed appropriate while on extended supervision and prohibited him from possessing controlled substances, alcohol or marijuana. The judge also ruled that Siler will not be eligible for the Challenge Incarceration Program or Substance Abuse Program and awarded him 724 days of sentence credit.