Woman once facing drug-induced homicide charge McHenry man’s death pleads guilty to lesser charge

A woman initially charged with drug-induced homicide in the fatal overdose of a McHenry man pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced Thursday to four years of probation.

Robin A. Stewart, 43, of Antioch entered into a plea deal in August, pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, a Class 1 felony.

The Class 1 felony carries a sentencing of four to 15 years in prison. If she violates the terms of her probation, she could be resentenced to prison.

In exchange for her plea, a more serious charge of drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony that carries a prison term of up to 30 years, was dismissed.

Stewart is required to refrain from consuming alcohol or illicit drugs, attend substance abuse meetings and submit to weekly screens for substances for the first 90 days of her probation. During the remainder, she is required to submit to at least two screens each month, Judge Tiffany Davis said during the sentencing hearing.

She also is required to maintain employment, wear an ankle monitor and not leave her home between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. unless for work or treatment and she has permission from court services. Stewart is not permitted to possess firearms or leave the state without permission.

She also was sentenced to 124 days in the county jail, but with credit for 62 days already in custody, that part of her sentence was served, Davis said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Matthew Brodersen said the deal was agreed to “in large part to her cooperation,” which lead to the arrest and conviction of Enrico J. Cirelli of Waukegan.

The pair were charged in connection with the fatal overdose of Shea Conrad, 31, on May 8, 2020. Both were initially accused of delivering cocaine, heroin and fentanyl to Conrad.

In 2021, Cirelli, 39, pleaded guilty to drug-induced homicide. In exchange for his guilty plea, additional counts of drug-induced homicide and possession of a controlled substance were dismissed. He was sentenced to six years in prison, McHenry County court records show.

When Conrad was found dead, police went through text messages on his cellphone leading them to Cirelli, saved as “Rico,” Brodersen said at Stewart’s hearing in August when she pleaded guilty.

When officers messaged “Rico” on Conrad’s phone and surreptitiously arranged another drug transaction, it was Stewart who arrived May 13, 2020, with multiple bags of cocaine, according to court records.

Brodersen said Cirelli sent Stewart to the prearranged meeting place with the cocaine, expecting to sell it for $200.