Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an 11-count superseding indictment charging David Chappell Fey (56, Belleview) and Shari Lynn Gunter (57, Ocklawaha) with the murder of a government witness and conspiracy to murder a government witness. Fey and Gunter are also charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl causing the death of their victim. Fey faces an additional eight counts of distributing methamphetamine and Gunter faces one count of distributing methamphetamine.

The statutory penalties for these offenses include up to life imprisonment and death.

According to the superseding indictment and other court records, Fey and Gunter conspired together and murdered “K.B.” to prevent her from communicating information to law enforcement regarding the distribution of methamphetamine by Gunter and Fey. On April 6, 2016, K.B. was found deceased in her parked vehicle near a cemetery in Oxford, Florida, the victim of an apparent drug overdose. Upon further investigation by local, state, and federal agencies, it was determined that K.B.’s death was not accidental, but that she died from homicide caused by the intentional injection of fentanyl and methamphetamine. K.B. was 31 years old at the time of her death.

In addition to intentionally murdering and conspiring to kill K.B., the superseding indictment alleges that Fey and Gunter conspired to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, the use of which resulted in the death of K.B. Fey is separately charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on eight different occasions between January 19, 2016, and October 17, 2019. Gunter is charged jointly with Fey in one of the distribution counts, occurring on January 19, 2016.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael P. Felicetta and Tyrie K. Boyer.         

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