Federal investigators traced the shooting from an on-base bedroom to an Interstate 85 traffic stop nearly 180 miles away.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The evidence in the killing of Army Sgt. Andre S. Stewart Jr. stretched from a bedroom inside Fort Gordon housing to a handgun discarded during a traffic stop south of Atlanta, according to federal court records.
That trail ended in a conviction when Natravien R. Landry, a former Army National Guard soldier, pleaded guilty June 11 to second-degree murder and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Prosecutors said Landry shot Stewart once in the chest on Dec. 14, 2024, fled the military installation and was captured about three hours later.
Landry, 27, of Abbeville, Louisiana, faces no less than 10 years and as much as life in federal prison. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled after U.S. Probation Services completes a presentence investigation. Federal prosecutors said the plea agreement also exposes Landry to financial penalties and supervised release. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
The case began with observations outside an apartment occupied by a woman with whom Landry shares a child. Landry had been working with his National Guard unit early that morning and went to the residence during a break. A vehicle parked outside led him to suspect another man was there, prosecutors said.
A witness told investigators that Landry asked who owned the vehicle. He then entered the apartment and went upstairs while still dressed in his military uniform, according to the probable-cause account filed at the start of the case. The woman said she and Stewart had been asleep when she heard a disturbance. Inside the bedroom, Landry found Stewart and two children. Prosecutors said Landry knew Stewart was unarmed. The initial affidavit alleged that Landry struck Stewart with the pistol during the confrontation and then fired once, hitting him in the chest. Stewart left the bedroom after he was wounded and fell on the stairs, according to the investigative account.
Emergency responders arrived, but Stewart was pronounced dead. His death created the central fact investigators had to connect to a suspect, a weapon and a sequence of actions. Because the shooting occurred on a federal military installation, the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation with support from civilian agencies. The scene also produced immediate witness evidence. Investigators obtained accounts about Landry’s arrival, the vehicle outside, his entry into the residence and the confrontation upstairs. Prosecutors later relied on those accounts when describing the offense in court. The presence of two children in the room was confirmed in the Justice Department’s announcement of Landry’s guilty plea.
Landry did not remain at the apartment or on the installation. He drove away as Fort officials imposed a lockdown lasting about two hours. The departure left investigators with a suspect believed to be traveling in a vehicle and possibly carrying the gun used in the shooting. Military and civilian law enforcement agencies began working to locate him.
The next major piece of evidence appeared during a traffic stop on Interstate 85. Meriwether County sheriff’s deputies stopped Landry south of Atlanta, about three hours after the killing. The arrest site was approximately 180 miles from the Army post near Augusta, showing how far he had traveled while authorities were responding to the shooting.
According to the Army investigator’s affidavit, Landry threw a 9 mm handgun from the vehicle during the stop. Deputies recovered the pistol rather than leaving investigators to rely only on witness accounts or Landry’s statements. His military uniform was also located in the vehicle, the affidavit said, supporting the reported timeline that began with his Guard duty that morning.
The recovered Glock pistol then became physical evidence. Federal prosecutors said testing proved that it was the weapon used to shoot Stewart. The laboratory result linked the firearm found near Landry’s vehicle to the fatal wound at the apartment, adding scientific support to the eyewitness descriptions and other information gathered during the investigation.
Investigators also obtained an admission. After Landry was advised of his rights, he acknowledged shooting Stewart during an interview with an Army investigator, according to court records. The guilty plea entered roughly 18 months later provided a separate admission in federal court and removed the need for a jury to weigh the evidence at trial.
The U.S. Marshals Service took custody of Landry after the traffic stop. He appeared in federal court Dec. 16, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps. The original criminal complaint charged him with murder, but it did not itself establish guilt. Federal officials noted at the time that Landry was presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Epps ordered Landry detained after a hearing two days later. Landry subsequently waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He remained in custody while Army CID agents and prosecutors continued working through the witness evidence, the firearm testing, his interview and the jurisdictional issues tied to a killing on federal property.
The Justice Department’s plea announcement gave a more settled account than the early charging documents. It said Landry entered the apartment, found Stewart with two children, knew Stewart was unarmed and shot him once in the chest. Stewart was pronounced dead in the apartment. Landry then drove away before deputies arrested him on Interstate 85.
Those admitted facts support the second-degree murder conviction. Unlike a criminal complaint, which requires probable cause, a guilty plea is a formal admission of the charged conduct. Landry also pleaded guilty to the separate firearm count, recognizing that he used the recovered pistol during the violent crime.
The post was called Fort Eisenhower when the shooting occurred. It has since returned to the name Fort Gordon, which is used in the latest Justice Department records. The installation adjoins Augusta and includes family housing as well as major Army commands and training operations. The case required cooperation across several jurisdictions. Army CID investigated the killing. Meriwether County deputies conducted the stop and recovered the pistol. The U.S. Marshals Service transported Landry into federal custody. Prosecutors from the Southern District of Georgia brought the case in U.S. District Court.
U.S. Attorney Margaret E. “Meg” Heap said the plea acknowledged Landry’s responsibility and represented progress toward justice. Army CID Southeast Field Office Special Agent in Charge Ryan O’Connor credited the investigative work and cooperation between military and federal authorities.
The physical evidence will no longer have to be presented to a jury, but it remains part of the record that will inform sentencing. Judge J. Randal Hall will receive a presentence report and determine where Landry’s punishment falls between the 10-year mandatory minimum identified by prosecutors and the maximum of life imprisonment.
A sentencing date has not been released. Until the hearing is scheduled and the sentence is imposed, Landry remains in federal custody and the case remains open for the limited purpose of deciding punishment and related penalties.
Author note: Last updated July 13, 2026.