St. Louis officer gets 7 years in Russian roulette shooting

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.

A probable cause statement from police, provided by Gardner's office, offered a chilling account of the game that led to Alix’s death.

"The defendant emptied the cylinder of the revolver and then put one cartridge back into the cylinder," the statement said. Hendren allegedly spun the cylinder, pointed the gun away and pulled the trigger.

The gun did not fire. The statement said Alix took the gun, pointed it at Hendren and pulled the trigger. Again, it didn't fire.

Hendren "took the gun back and pointed it at the victim (and) pulled the trigger causing the gun to discharge," the statement said. "The victim was struck in the chest."

The other male officer...