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Cascade County District Judge John Parker on Thursday sentenced a former Malmstrom Air Force Base airman for fatally shooting another airman.
Parker sentenced Contardo to six years with the Montana Department of Corrections, all suspended.
Contardo must spend 150 days in the Great Falls Pre-Release Center and do 80 community service hours per year with an approved veterans group.
Parker also stipulated that Contardo must purchase a $100 savings bond for Carlson s juvenile daughter each year until his sentence is discharged.
The maximum sentence for negligent homicide is 20 years in the Montana State Prison.
At his change of plea hearing, Contardo admitted that he and Carlson had been drinking when Contardo began messing around with a 9mm handgun, which discharged.
A former Malmstrom Air Force Base airman who shot and killed another serviceman in February 2020 has changed his plea in Cascade County District Court.
Christopher Dominic Contardo, 26, pleaded guilty Wednesday to negligent homicide for fatally shooting Tristan Carlson during a party in the early morning hours of Feb. 2, 2020.
Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki said the plea agreement came after an all-day mediation session with members of Carlson’s family present. Racki told District Judge John Parker that the family got a chance to confront Contardo, which was “one of the reasons for a successful mediation.”
According to Contardo’s plea agreement, the state and the defense are recommending a six-year commitment to the Montana Department of Corrections with six years suspended and a 150-day commitment to the Great Falls Pre-Release Center.