A Wisconsin woman has been sentenced to nine months in jail and six years of probation after replacing her diabetic grandmother’s life-saving insulin with supplements and “prayers” she promoted on social media. The decision by Marathon County Circuit Judge Suzanne O’Neill has stirred controversy, particularly as prosecutors had pushed for a far harsher penalty.
“I argued for six years in prison,” said Assistant District Attorney Sidney Brubacher, who prosecuted the case against 38-year-old Kandise L. Sheahen of Wausau. “I laid out the seriousness of the defense, how she knew she was doing something wrong and tried to cover it up, how she was a nurse who was fired for not getting vaccinated and continued treating patients without having the authority to.”
Brubacher described Sheahen as a “danger” to society, but he said the judge disagreed: “The judge just ignored me completely. Said she thought she wasn’t a danger to the public.”
Sheahen was convicted in May of negligently subjecting an at-risk individual to abuse resulting in death. According to the American Diabetes Association, safe glucose levels must remain below 154. At the time of her death, Sheahen’s grandmother’s levels were around 600.
Jurors took little more than two hours to find Sheahen guilty after hearing two days of testimony and reviewing evidence — including audio recordings from her social media.
In one recording, Sheahen said: “My goal in doing this is truly to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I truly want to help people. And I want them to get off all the crap that the healthcare system puts them on.”
She claimed her grandmother was on “18 different pills” and high doses of insulin. Convinced she could reduce or eliminate her medications, Sheahen began substituting prescribed treatments with supplements.
In another post, she boasted: “12 days on Q Core … grandma is down on her insulin and off her Tylenol.” She also urged others to abandon traditional medicine, writing: “Trust Jesus, say your prayers, and take your vitamins.”
Brubacher noted she even told one social media user: “Diane, get Gus off his f—ing insulin before he gets sick.”
On January 8, 2022, police responded to Sheahen’s Wausau home, where they found her grandmother gravely ill. Despite her dangerously high blood sugar, Sheahen discouraged paramedics from taking the elderly woman to the hospital or even recording vitals.
An autopsy later confirmed the cause of death as diabetic ketoacidosis, a preventable complication of untreated diabetes.
Prosecutors revealed Sheahen attempted to have her grandmother cremated within 24 hours, but a suspicious family member intervened and contacted authorities — a move that ultimately exposed her actions.
“She would have gotten away with it,” Brubacher said.
The case has divided Sheahen’s family. Some relatives supported her actions, believing she was acting out of faith, while others considered the sentence a mockery of justice.
“They thought nine months in prison and probation was a slap in their face,” Brubacher said. “This is not a nice person. She clearly and repeatedly said, ‘I don’t believe in insulin, I think the medical practice is letting people down.’ So yeah, she’s a threat to the public.”
Healthcare experts warn that cases like Sheahen’s not only endanger vulnerable patients but also erode public trust in legitimate medicine.
