He knew Stewart was unarmed. He shot him anyway.
In the early hours of a December morning on a Georgia military base, a man's jealousy collided with another man's life, and the result was irreversible. Natravien Landry, a National Guardsman who arrived at his ex-girlfriend's apartment armed and suspicious, shot an unarmed sleeping soldier named Andre Stewart — a man who posed no threat and had no chance. The guilty plea entered in June 2026 marks a legal reckoning, but the deeper wound belongs to the children who were present, and to all those who must now carry what one moment of violent rage produced.
- A soldier was shot once in the chest while sleeping — unarmed, defenseless, and unaware of the danger that had walked through the door.
- Two children were in the apartment when the gun fired, including the victim's five-year-old son, who is now old enough to remember what he witnessed.
- Landry fled the base, discarded the murder weapon from a moving vehicle on Interstate 85, and was stopped and arrested before he could disappear.
- Ballistics tied the recovered gun to the killing, and Landry's own words under Miranda rights sealed the case against him.
- A guilty plea to second-degree murder now places Landry's fate in the hands of a federal judge, with prosecutors seeking anywhere from ten years to life in prison.
- For Stewart's family, no sentence rewrites the morning of December 14th — the consequences for those left behind are already permanent.
On the morning of December 14, 2024, Natravien Landry took a break from drill duty at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, and drove to an on-base apartment where his ex-girlfriend — the mother of his child — was staying. A black truck parked outside sharpened his suspicion. He entered without invitation, climbed the stairs, and found U.S. Army Sergeant Andre Stewart sleeping beside her. Two children were in the apartment. One of them was Stewart's five-year-old son.
Landry knew Stewart was unarmed. He shot him once in the chest anyway. Stewart was pronounced dead shortly after. It was not a spontaneous eruption — it was a deliberate act against a man who had no means to defend himself.
What followed was flight: Landry left the base, drove toward Meriwether County, and during a traffic stop threw the gun from his window. Deputies recovered it. Ballistics confirmed it was the murder weapon. When questioned, Landry admitted to the shooting.
On June 11, 2026, now 27 years old, Landry pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of ten years to life. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Stewart's sister spoke publicly after her brother's death, calling it a vicious murder. She noted that he left behind the same five-year-old boy who was present when his father was killed — a child now old enough to carry that morning with him for the rest of his life. The guilty plea closes the legal chapter. What it cannot close is the grief already written into the lives of everyone who was there.
On the morning of December 14, 2024, Natravien R. Landry was on a break from drill duty at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia when he drove to an apartment on the military base. He had come looking for his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his child. What he found there would end a man's life and reshape the lives of everyone present.
Landry noticed a black truck parked in front of the apartment and asked a witness whose vehicle it was. Suspecting another man was inside, he entered without invitation and climbed the stairs to the bedroom. There he found U.S. Army Sergeant Andre S. Stewart Jr., who was sleeping with Landry's ex-girlfriend. The woman woke to commotion. Two children were in the apartment at the time—one of them Stewart's five-year-old son.
Landry knew Stewart was unarmed. He shot him once in the chest anyway. Stewart was pronounced dead shortly after. The killing was not a crime of passion in the moment—it was an act of deliberate violence by a man aware of his victim's defenselessness.
What happened next was the familiar choreography of flight and capture. Landry left the apartment, left the base, and drove toward Interstate 85 in Meriwether County. During a traffic stop, he threw the gun out the window. Deputies found it later. Ballistics confirmed it was the murder weapon. When questioned under Miranda rights, Landry admitted to the shooting.
On June 11, 2026, Landry, now 27 years old, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of between ten years and life in prison. The sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Stewart's sister spoke publicly after her brother's death, describing it as a vicious murder. She noted that Stewart left behind a five-year-old son—the child who was in the apartment when his father was killed. That boy is now old enough to carry the memory of that morning for the rest of his life. The woman at the center of the conflict, the two children present, the extended family—all of them are left to reckon with what jealousy and access to a weapon can produce in a moment of rage.
Landry's guilty plea closes one chapter. The sentencing will determine how much of his life he spends in federal prison. But for Stewart's family, and for the children who were there, the consequences are already written and permanent.
Notable Quotes
Viciously murdered— Stewart's sister, describing her brother's death
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a case like this matter beyond the immediate tragedy? What does it tell us?
It shows how quickly access to a weapon can turn a personal crisis into a homicide. Landry had time to drive to the apartment, confront Stewart, and make a choice. He chose to shoot an unarmed man in front of children.
The ex-girlfriend—what's her position in all this? Is she a victim too?
She's complicated. She was in a relationship with Stewart. Landry was jealous of him. She was present, she witnessed it, and she had to explain to children what happened. The investigators noted Landry's jealousy as a factor, which suggests she was caught between two men's conflict.
Two children were there. One was Stewart's son. What happens to them now?
They carry the trauma. A five-year-old saw his father shot. The other child—we don't know the relationship—also witnessed a killing. That's the collateral damage that doesn't end when the guilty plea is entered.
Landry was on military duty when this happened. Does that change anything legally or morally?
It changes the jurisdiction—federal court, federal sentencing guidelines. But morally, it just adds another layer. He was supposed to be serving. Instead, he left his post to confront his ex-girlfriend and killed a fellow soldier.
The gun was thrown from a car and recovered. How common is that in cases like this?
Common enough that it's almost a reflex. People panic after violence. They think discarding the weapon will help them escape. It rarely does. The gun is found, tested, and becomes evidence against them.