A former Fond du Lac woman charged in the 2018 death of her infant daughter has been convicted. Twenty seven year old Shauntina Fuller-Panky has entered an Alford plea to first degree reckless homicide in the death of a two month old infant. A pre-sentence investigtion was ordered. Fuller-Pankey faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and 25 years of extended supervision. A sentencing hearing will be held next year. “This is a tragic reminder of how precious life is as we gather with family to celebrate Christmas,” District Attorney Eric Toney said. “It has been one of the most challenging cases during my nine years as District Attorney as we sought to obtain justice for a 2 ½ month baby that was killed by her mother. The State faced significant challenges in proving this case because one of the lead investigators, a former City of Fond du Lac Police Department Detective, has significant Brady/Giglio issues leading the State to refuse to prosecute any future cases involving this former Detective.” The former detective’s issues led to in camera inspections by our courts and a special master being appointed to review his personal records and documents related to the criminal referral for his actions while he was a police officer. As the result, the Courts have ordered the disclosure of significant Brady/Giglio materials that had a direct impact on this prosecution to include:
1) Circumstances of the criminal referral related to mishandling of evidence and improper use of the TIME System,
2) Racial Bias,
3) Misogynistic content,
4) Mishandling of evidence,
5) Failure to turn over evidence/discovery directly related to this case, and
6) Other issues and circumstances related to the credibility of this former detective.
“Despite the Brady/Giglio issues of one former investigator, the City of Fond du Lac Police Department and their investigators worked tirelessly for years in an effort to obtain justice for this this little girl and I’m proud of their work and the prosecution team’s effort, which all helped secure this conviction and some measure of justice for our 2 ½ month old victim that would have been 3 years old,” Toney said.
According to a criminal complaint an autopsy showed the baby died from a large skull fracture. Assistant police chief Steve Klein says the incident happened on June 25, 2018. Police were called to a home in the 100 block of E. Merrill Ave. for a report that a baby was choking. Officers arriving on the scene attempted CPR, but the infant was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
