Seagoville Shooter Russell Ragsdale Sentenced for Mushroom-Driven Murder

Seagoville native Russell Alan Ragsdale, 25, has been locked away for 66 months after a tragic incident involving hallucinogenic mushrooms and firearms. The Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Nancy E. Larson, announced the sentence on July 17, 2025.

Ragsdale was arrested in November 2024, following his roommate’s murder on February 3, 2022. He claimed self-defense, but Judge Barbara M. G. Lynn found insufficient evidence to support this claim, noting that Ragsdale’s actions led to the victim’s death.

During the investigation, authorities recovered three firearms and nearly two grams of hallucinogenic mushrooms from the scene. Phone records revealed a history of drug use and purchases of mushrooms on the day of the shooting.

Ragsdale pled guilty to possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, the Dallas Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division, the Seagoville Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jongwoo Chung prosecuted the case.

Ragsdale is now awaiting transfer to the Bureau of Prisons to serve his sentence, marking a dark chapter in the history of Seagoville’s crime scene.