Nathan Stanley received a 23-year prison sentence on Friday after pleading guilty to neglect of a dependent in the 2025 death of his 4-year-old son Charlie. The boy was killed when he grabbed an unsecured handgun from a bedside table. His mother faces a separate trial next month on related charges.
The incident occurred on May 30, 2025, at an apartment complex on Clear Creek Trail in North Manchester, Indiana. Charlie Stanley was playing with items on a bedside table while a family member watched him and his younger brother. He picked up a Canik 9mm handgun, said "Oh, a flashlight," and the weapon discharged, striking him in the torso.
Police pronounced the child dead at the scene. Court records show Nathan Stanley, 27, had left multiple firearms unsecured despite a prior agreement with the Department of Child Services to store weapons safely. His wife, Mikayla Stanley, 26, had reportedly warned him about the issue on multiple occasions.
A judge handed down the sentence of 23 years with three years suspended after Stanley's guilty plea. Mikayla Stanley remains charged with neglect of a dependent and is scheduled to go on trial next month.