Sanger Teen Who Killed Friend Gets 5 Years Probation

The North Texas teen who shot and killed his best friend in an apparent accident last August pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide Monday.

Michael Bryce Underwood, who was 17-years-old at the time of the Aug., 2013 shooting, was indicted by a Montague County grand jury in October on a charge of manslaughter for the death of 18-year-old Denton Guyer High School football player Nathan Maki.

The two were at property owned by Underwood's family at the time of the shooting, which Underwood said was an accident.

On a 911 recording, the Sanger teen, now 18, admitted shooting his friend.

The manslaughter charge carried a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The criminally negligent homicide charge is a state jail felony with a maximum two years of confinement.

Montague County District Attorney Paige Williams said Underwood will serve five years on probation and automatically be sent to state jail for a 2-year term if he violates his probation.

In court Monday, Williams read a victim impact statement from Maki's mother Bonnie Tatera.

Williams said she agreed to the plea arrangement instead of prosecuting Underwood.

"It was the right outcome for everybody involved," Williams said.

Contact Us