Officer accused in colleague’s death seeks new judge

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis police officer accused of killing a female colleague while playing a variation of Russian roulette wants a new judge.

The attorney for Nathaniel Hendren filed a motion Monday. Defence attorney Talmage Newton IV says in the filing that Circuit Judge David Roither’s comments at a hearing last week suggested bias against his client. Among other things, Roither said that as a hunter he knows you “don’t point a muzzle at anything you don’t intend to shoot.”

A hearing on the request is Feb. 13.

Hendren is charged with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the Jan. 24 death of Officer Katyln Alix. Prosecutors say Hendren and Alix took turns pointing a gun loaded with one bullet at each other and pulling the trigger. Alix was shot in the chest.