Makenzie S. Halinski, 21, of Festus pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter today (June 18) in the shooting death of her boyfriend, Cole L. Campbell, 20, almost a year ago.
Halinski said the shooting was an accident and that she thought the gun she pointed at Cole was unloaded.
The shooting occurred June 24, 2013, in the basement of Campbell's home in the 400 block of South Fifth Street in Festus.
Halinski faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. Her sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 6 before Jefferson County Div. 1 Circuit Judge Robert Wilkins.
Emergency personnel got a call about 11 p.m. on June 24, 2013, about the shooting, and paramedics administered emergency treatment at the scene, but Campbell died, Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis said at the time.
Halinski told police she and Campbell were in his basement bedroom and she pointed what she believed to be an empty pistol at Campbell and pulled the trigger, according to the probable-cause statement.
She told investigators that Campbell said the safety was on and the gun was unloaded.
Halinski also said Campbell asked her to point the weapon at him and pull the trigger.
In addition, she told authorities that she and Campbell had been “drinking and smoking weed” prior to the shooting, the statement said.
Halinski told police that when Campbell fell to the floor, “she took her shirt off and applied pressure to the wound and began giving him CPR,” according to the statement. “Halinski stated she was yelling for the victim’s father, who was upstairs, and she called police.”
Lewis said police determined Campbell was killed with a small-caliber handgun.
But, the household had “multiple” guns and Halinski was too distraught to point out which gun she had used, Lewis said.
Police were still investigating the case and trying to determine the weapon, Lewis said today.
When police were at the scene of the shooting, they discovered potential bomb-making materials, and the St. Louis County Police Department bomb and arson squad was called in as a precaution, Lewis said.
A St. Louis County Police spokesman said the items were pipe bombs, but authorities dropped the investigation into the alleged bombs, Lewis said.
Halinski remained at the Jefferson County Jail today, awaiting sentencing, authorities reported.