19-07-2025
North Texas man gets 5½ years for fatal shooting of roommate while on hallucinogenic mushrooms
A North Texas man who fatally shot his roommate while under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison, according to federal prosecutors.
Senior U.S. District Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn sentenced 25-year-old Russell Alan Ragsdale on Thursday.
Ragsdale pleaded guilty in April to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, after originally being arrested and charged with murder on Feb. 3, 2022, in Seagoville.
The judge sentenced him to 66 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas said in a release Friday.
At the time of his arrest, Ragsdale claimed self-defense, telling officers he was attacked and "shot him many times." Officers recovered three firearms, including a 10mm Glock and an AR-15 rifle, along with nearly two grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms, prosecutors said.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, phone data showed a history of drug use dating back to November 2021, including evidence that Ragsdale purchased and used hallucinogenic mushrooms the day before the shooting.
Ragsdale, who had been in federal custody since Nov. 22, 2024, admitted to being intoxicated on mushrooms while possessing a 10mm Glock as part of his guilty plea.
At sentencing, the judge said she found insufficient evidence to support Ragsdale's self-defense claim.
Ragsdale remains in custody awaiting transfer to the federal Bureau of Prisons, prosecutors said.
The investigation was led by the FBI Dallas Field Office and Dallas Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Seagoville police, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
