Man pleads not guilty in East Troy shooting
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ELKHORN—An Illinois man pleaded not guilty Monday in the shooting death of another Illinois man who died Jan. 2 during a game of drunken Russian roulette in East Troy.
Robert M. Sterling, 31, of McHenry, Illinois, faces one count of first-degree reckless homicide in connection with the shooting death of David A. Bauspies, 36, also of McHenry.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.
Prosecutors say Tyler M. Odell, 22, brought out his .44 Magnum while he, Bauspies and
Sterling had been drinking alcohol and put the gun to his head with one round in the cylinder, but did not fire, according to the criminal complaint filed in Walworth County Court.
Odell then handed the gun to Sterling, who pointed the gun at his own head and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire, according to the complaint.
Sterling told police he was holding the gun by his knee when it fired and the bullet struck Bauspies, according to the complaint.
Odell told the police Sterling pointed the gun at Bauspies. In his motion to dismiss, Odell's attorney, Stephen Govin, criticized Sterling's account.
“Sterling's statement is wholly self-serving, uses conclusory language and by logical inference seems totally false,” the motion states.
Odell is charged with party to first-degree reckless homicide. Judge Kristine Drettwan on Friday denied Odell's motion to dismiss the case.
Sterling is next set to appear in court at 1:15 p.m. April 4. Odell is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3.
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