Natravien R. Landry, 27, has admitted to pulling the trigger in a deadly shooting that turned Fort Gordon into an active crime scene and locked the post down for roughly two hours. On June 11, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a related firearms charge in the Dec. 14, 2024, killing of U.S. Army Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. at the installation. Under his plea agreement, Landry now faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison, with a sentencing date to be set after a presentence investigation.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia, Landry pleaded guilty to "Murder in the Second Degree and Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence," exposing him to substantial penalties. In the office release, U.S. Attorney Margaret E. "Meg" Heap called it a meaningful step in the case, saying, "This guilty plea acknowledges the defendant's responsibility, representing a step towards justice."
How Prosecutors Say It Unfolded
Prosecutors say Landry, then assigned to the 1148th Transportation Company at Fort Gordon, walked out of drill during a break on the morning of Dec. 14, 2024. He went to the apartment of a woman with whom he shares a child. According to CBS News Atlanta, Landry noticed a vehicle outside, went into the home and found Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. and two children in an upstairs bedroom, then fired a single shot that fatally wounded Stewart.
Arrest, Evidence and Base Response
Officials say Landry fled Fort Gordon after the shooting, triggering about a two-hour lockdown on the post as law enforcement searched for him. He was arrested roughly three hours later during a traffic stop on Interstate 85 in Meriwether County. Deputies recovered a 9 mm Glock from the vehicle, and testing later tied that firearm to the fatal shot. Local reporting by WRDW/WAGT says investigators used surveillance and cellphone data to track the vehicle before the Meriwether County felony stop.
Investigators and the Prosecution
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation, working alongside federal authorities. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Georgia. The Department of Justice release identifies Criminal Division Chief Patricia G. Rhodes and Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry W. Syms Jr. as the prosecutors on the case and notes that Army CID leadership publicly praised the investigative work.
What Comes Next
Court filings show that a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services will take place before a sentencing hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. As CBS News Atlanta reports, the guilty plea ends the trial phase and moves the case into federal sentencing, where Landry faces years to life behind bars, along with possible financial penalties and supervised release.
