FORT GORDON, Ga. — A former soldier pleaded guilty Thursday to the murder of a U.S. Army sergeant at Fort Gordon.
Natravien R. Landry, 27 years old, faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and up to life. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The plea stems from the December 14, 2024, shooting death of Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. was shot and killed at an apartment on Fort Gordon in Georgia.
“This guilty plea acknowledges the defendant’s responsibility, representing a step towards justice,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Margaret E. “Meg” Heap. “We commend the dedication of the U.S. Army CID and prosecutors whose efforts ensured this case would conclude in a conviction.”
Landry, of Abbeville, Louisiana, was an Army National Guard soldier assigned to the 1148th Transportation Company at Fort Gordon.
According to investigators, he was working with his Guard unit early in the morning when he went to an apartment of a woman with whom he shares a child. Upon seeing a vehicle parked outside the apartment, Landry suspected another man was inside.
Landry entered, walked to an upstairs bedroom and found Stewart with two children. Landry, who was aware Stewart was unarmed, shot him once in the chest.
Landry drove away and was arrested around three hours later south of Atlanta on Interstate 85 during a traffic stop conducted by the Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies recovered a 9 mm Glock pistol, which testing later confirmed was the weapon used in the shooting.
“This plea is a testament to the outstanding investigative efforts of our Army CID agents, as well as the dedication of the DOJ prosecution team, and is indicative of our commitment to ensure justice for victims of heinous crimes such as this,” said Ryan O’Connor, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Southeast Field Office.
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. Southern District of Georgia Criminal Division Chief Patricia G. Rhodes and Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry W. Syms Jr. prosecuted the case for the United States.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule a sentencing hearing for Landry.