CINCINNATI (Court TV) — An Ohio man is heading to prison after pleading guilty to charges in connection with his friend’s death.
Omarion Horne appears in court Oct. 10, 2025. (Scripps News Cincinnati)
Omarion Horne, 23, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a deal with prosecutors in which charges of felonious assault and reckless homicide were dropped. Court records show the judge sentenced Horne to 10 to 14.5 years in prison.
Horne was arrested in October 2025, after his friend, Rachel Counts, was killed while the pair was playing cards. At a court hearing shortly after his arrest, prosecutors said that Horne pulled a revolver out of one of his pockets during the game, removed all of the bullets except for one, and said, “Let’s play Russian roulette,” while pointing the weapon at his own head.
Prosecutors said Horne then pointed the gun at Counts and pulled the trigger, firing a single shot that hit the victim in the chest, killing her.
In pretrial filings, Horne’s attorneys had emphasized that “none of the evidence provided supports a theory of intentional or purposeful criminal conduct,” as they asked, unsuccessfully, for the defendant to be given a lower bond. The motion requesting a lower bond also said that the defendant suffers from severe epilepsy “which has been exacerbated by incarceration.”
After Horne is released from prison, he will be subject to post-release control for two to five years.
