PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. — Two Pulaski County men charged with the 2020 killing of a man were sentenced to 18 and 15 years in prison.
Steven Allison and Bryan Gardner were charged with shooting and killing Gregory Rivera outside of St. Robert in Pulaski County October 16, 2020. In their sentencing hearing Friday, Allison was sentenced to 15 years for voluntary manslaughter and three years for unlawful use of a weapon. Gardner was sentenced to 10 years for burglary and four years for a harassment charge.
Allison and Gardner plead guilty to the charges in a plea bargain May 2021. Both were legally carrying firearms and argued that the incident was an act of self-defense. A portion of the case was spent attempting to identify which parties could claim self-defense and whether the castle doctrine was applicable.