MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Kan. - A 2018 fatal shooting case wraps up with a no contest plea in Montgomery County, Kansas.
Julie Fagerstrom, 54, of Cherryvale pleaded no contest in the shooting death of Richard Schultheiss. A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as one for the purposes of sentencing.
A judge will sentence her for Voluntary Manslaughter, Level 3 Person Felony, on May 23, 2023. The Prosecutor's Office lessened the charge from second-degree murder as part of the plea deal. According to court records, that charge carries a maximum punishment of 55 months to 247 months of incarceration.
Fagerstrom will remain free, subject to pretrial supervision, until her sentencing.
2018 Fatal Shooting
The shooting happened on November 26, 2018, at the Cherryvale home where Schultheiss and Fagerstrom lived.Â
Schultheiss died from a single gunshot wound.
The Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office originally charged Fagerstrom with second-degree murder.
Fagerstrom posted 10 percent of her $50,000 bond and remained free.
Court Continuances
According to online court records, there have been three different prosecutors for the county since Fagerstrom was charged.
During the nearly four-and-a-half-year case, the court has continued it more than 12 times. There were also jury trial dates set twice.
Fagerstrom's first arraignment in which a plea was entered wasn't until December of 2019, in which she pleaded not guilty. That's according to online court records.
The onset of the COVID pandemic also delayed her case several months.
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