Holmen woman receives 20-year sentence in fentanyl homicide case

A 27-year-old Holmen woman was sentenced Friday to a 20-years sentence, plus extended supervision for reckless homicide in the drug death of a male friend.

Rachel Brockway pleaded guilty last June to providing a mix of heroin and fentanyl to 30-year-old Christian Lunde, who died in February of 2023 after taking drugs in a parking lot.

Brockway was ordered to serve 13 years behind bars, followed by seven years on supervision. A pre-sentence report had recommended a total of 19 years for Brockway. The maximum term was 60 years.

During sentencing, Brockway said she took responsibility for Lunde’s death, and that it was never her intention to cause harm.

La Crosse County Judge Scott Horne said he did not see Brockway try to shift responsibility to others for her actions. Horne said that probation is not a viable option in this case. He felt there was a need to protect the public.

Among the speakers at the hearing was Jean Lunde, Christian’s mother, who said that light sentences given to Brockway in the past did not work.

Brockway’s mother also spoke, saying her daughter deserves punishment, but asked for a sentence that would not separate Rachel from her young son for a long time.

Horne said he hopes that Brockway’s son can look at her in the future, and say that she succeeded in recovering.