Brady Peeters

MARINETTE, WI — A 2021 overdose death in Niagara, Wis., has resulted in an 18-year prison sentence for one of five codefendants in the case, according to Marinette County District Attorney DeShea D. Morrow.

The other four codefendants in the case were previously sentenced for their connection to the reckless homicide and are serving sentences in prison, Morrow said in a news release Tuesday.

Brady Peeters, 28, of Iron Mountain, was convicted after a jury trial Jan. 15 of first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime, for delivering fentanyl that caused the death of 31-year-old Casey Ashburn of Niagara in January 2021.

Peeters was also convicted of possession with intent to deliver narcotic drugs (fentanyl), second and subsequent offense, as a party to a crime on May 21, 2024, for a separate incident in March 2021, Morrow said.

Judge Peggy L. Miller sentenced Peeters to 18 years in prison and 10 years of extended supervision.

Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Heineck said the sentencing recommendation reflected the loss of life caused by Peeters’ actions, and the danger inherent in delivering fentanyl, which she said the defendant continued to do even after Ashburn’s death.

Heineck further cited the aggravating factor of Peeters absconding for nearly two years while the case was pending, and his continued refusal to accept responsibility.

The 18-year prison sentence will be served consecutive to the sentence for the May 2024 conviction, Morrow said. The sentencing in that case, which was heard by Marinette County Circuit Judge James Morrison, was eight years in prison and five years of extended supervision.

The news release identified the other four codefendants as Jack Sigel, Travis Ambrosius, Adam Recla and Chandon Geralds.

The DA’s office thanked the Marinette County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Niagara Police Department for their investigation, along with the assistance of Fox Valley Metro Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Criminal Litigation Unit and the U.S. Marshals.

Heineck handled the prosecution of the cases with the assistance of Morrow.

Prosecutors in 2024 had said that Peeters was on the run for a year and seven months after charges were filed in 2021. He was arrested in April 2023.