Sister decries 180-day jail term for drug supplier in Hebron man’s fatal overdose: His ‘life is worth more’

A Wisconsin man was sentenced to jail time and probation Thursday after pleading guilty to delivering $160 worth of heroin to a Hebron man who died of a fatal overdose in a Woodstock motel.

Michael F. Walach, 64, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 180 days in the county jail and four years of probation, according to an order filed in McHenry County court.

Walach was allowed to wait until May 2 to begin his sentence in the McHenry County Jail and is required to serve half of his jail time. He will get credit for 57 days already served.

Walach was accused of delivering less than a gram of heroin to Stefan Bruckner at 2 p.m. Jan. 15, 2022. Bruckner then ingested “a portion” of the heroin, leading to his death, according to the complaint against Walach.

Walach was previously sentenced to nine years in prison for a 1999 conviction of manufacturing or delivering 100 to 400 grams of cocaine, according to court records.

Bruckner’s sister, Stephanie Bruckner, said Friday that she was told about the plea deal but was not in favor of it.

“My brother’s life is worth more than the sentence that was handed down,” she said.

She wanted Walach’s case to go to trial and for him to receive a heavier sentence.

Bruckner said she speaks for “a lot of people” who have been affected by the loss of a life due to drugs.

“All I wanted was what was right and what was fair for my brother,” she said. “He deserved more than that sentence. I don’t think the victims’ rights were acknowledged.”

In an online obituary, Bruckner, 45, is said to have died in Woodstock on Jan. 19. Bruckner’s cause of death was the adverse effects of morphine, and the manner was accidental, McHenry County Coroner Michael Rein said. Morphine was determined to be the cause because heroin breaks down into morphine in the body, according to a petition in Walach’s case. The toxicology report said that morphine is “commonly found as a result of heroin use.”

At the time of his death, Bruckner was a patient at a recovery facility for substance use disorder. He was put up in the motel because he had tested positive for COVID-19, according to petition in the courthouse.

An employee from the facility requested a well-being check after not being able to reach Bruckner. That employee also talked to Walach, who said he had last seen Bruckner on Jan. 15. Bruckner’s girlfriend said she had last spoken to him on that date, and he told her that Walach and another man “had come to visit,” according to the petition.

Text messages recovered during the investigation showed that Bruckner asked Walach for $160 worth of “dope” the day before. The last text that Bruckner sent to his girlfriend was at 2:12 p.m. Jan. 15, the same day Walach and the other man went to the motel.

A baggie of tan powder that tested positive for “pure heroin” was recovered from Bruckner’s motel room, and a rolled-up dollar bill was next to the bag, according to court records.

Bruckner’s obituary said he was a “tremendously talented mechanic [who] prided himself in working for Woodstock Harley-Davidson. He was a kind and generous man always willing to help anyone in need.”

In exchange for Walach’s guilty plea to the lesser offense, a charge of drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony that carries a prison term of six to 30 years, was dismissed, records show.

During his probation, Walach is to refrain from ingesting any alcohol or illicit drugs, according to the order.