CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A St. Louis police officer accused of accidentally killing a female colleague while playing a variation of Russian roulette pleaded guilty Friday and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Nathaniel Hendren, 30, had been scheduled to go to trial March 23 on charges of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. The seven-year sentence was the maximum for involuntary manslaughter.
He was accused of fatally shooting 24-year-old Katlyn Alix, also a St. Louis police officer, at his home in January 2019 while he was supposed to be on duty elsewhere. Hendren’s male partner, also on duty, was at the home, too. Alix, a married military veteran, was off-duty at the time.
“The reckless behavior that took place that early morning has left an unfillable void for her grieving husband, her parents, and a host of loving family and friends,” Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner said in a statement.
Hendren’s lawyer, Talmage Newton IV, has called Alix’s death a “tragic accident,” but a lawsuit filed by Alix’s family claimed Hendren forced other girlfriends to play similar games.