Cheyenne, WY: Cheyenne man pleads guilty in girlfriend's death

By Lindsey Erin Kroskob
lkroskob@wyomingnews.com


CHEYENNE -- A Cheyenne man pleaded guilty earlier this month in federal court to charges that he gave his girlfriend drugs that led to her death.

Brannan B. Hoover, 29, will be sentenced Jan. 24 by U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson. He faces 20 years to life in prison and a possible $1 million fine for distribution of fentanyl resulting in the death of Kathryn Redgate.

According to court documents, Hoover supplied Redgate fentanyl while she was at Peak Wellness Center on Oct. 8. He bought two 100 microgram patches earlier in the day with $100 Redgate had given him.

The couple later ate and smoked the drug in Hoover's green 1990 Chevrolet passenger van north of town, court documents said. Soon after taking the fentanyl, Redgate lost consciousness and was unresponsive. Hoover began driving her to the hospital and was stopped by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

The trooper found Redgate in the back of the van. She was not breathing and didn't have a pulse, according to court documents.

He began CPR while an ambulance responded. Redgate died two days later at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.

Attorneys in the case have reached a plea agreement, but the terms of the agreement are not public record until after sentencing.

Hoover told Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agents that he bought the two fentanyl patches from Charles A. Patterson, 72. Patterson allegedly admitted to buying fentanyl for use and distribution. In an interview, he told agents he bought about six fentanyl patches a month from Daniel C. Schulz, 54.

Schulz allegedly told the agents that he received 10 fentanyl patches each month with a prescription and had been for about six years. The agents later searched Schulz's house and found one unused patch and a ledger indicating drug and money amounts, according to court documents.

Patterson and Schulz, both of Cheyenne, face federal charges of conspiracy and distribution of fentanyl. Both offenses are punishable by up to 20 years in prison each and a $1 million fine. They were arrested on a felony warrant Nov. 1 and ordered to detention, pending trial.