Wisconsin nurse who sells supplements online jailed after replacing grandmother’s insulin with prayers

A nurse from Wisconsin has been sentenced after she withdrew her 80-year-old grandmother’s prescribed diabetes treatment in favour of “prayers” and supplements she was selling online, an action that ultimately led to the elderly woman’s death.

Kandise L. Sheahen, 38, was convicted of negligently subjecting her grandmother to abuse and causing death.

She received a sentence of nine months in jail and six years of probation, despite prosecutors pushing for a much harsher penalty.

Assistant District Attorney Sidney Brubacher expressed disappointment in the ruling. “I argued for six years in prison,” he told Law&Crime, insisting he had laid out how Sheahen knowingly acted against medical advice and tried to cover up her actions.

“The judge just ignored me completely. Said she thought she wasn’t a danger to the public.”

Sheahen’s social media accounts were used as evidence during the trial.

In a video she described reducing the medications her grandmother was taking, saying, “She was on 18 different pills. She was on 70 some units of the long-acting insulin twice a day, and like 30 or 40 of the short-acting… And as time has went on and the more knowledge I’ve gained and the more strength I’ve gotten from God, I’ve realised that hold on, like let’s, we don’t need this much. This is ridiculous.”

She also said, “Trust Jesus, say your prayers, and take your vitamins,” and advised one person online to “get (him) off his f--king insulin before he gets sick.”

Mr Brubacher stated, “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.”

Medical records showed dangerously high glucose levels in the days leading up to her death, with a reading over 600 at the time of death.

Sheahen reportedly refused to allow first responders to take her grandmother to the hospital or check vital signs. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as diabetic ketoacidosis brought on by lack of insulin. Additional complications included a COVID infection and cardiac issues, as well as a catheter and IV placed without medical orders.

Sheahen allegedly tried to have her grandmother cremated within 24 hours, but a sceptical family member intervened and alerted police, leading to a formal investigation.

Mr Brubacher referred to the nurse’s actions as “predatory,” and noted that family opinions were split, with some supporting Sheahen and others calling the sentence “a travesty and joke.” According to prosecutors, Sheahen’s grandmother had spent three decades on diabetic medication before the plan was altered.

Sheahen, who was previously fired for not receiving a COVID vaccine yet continued treating patients, maintained she was acting to “help people” and get them “off all the crap that the healthcare system puts them on.”

Statements from family members during sentencing reflected a deep divide, some offering support to Sheahen while others expressed outrage at the outcome.