In the summer of 2015, a young man's life was tragically cut short in a New Orleans apartment, leaving behind a swirl of questions and a story that shifted from a self-inflicted wound to an accidental shooting. Alex Przybyl, a 25-year-old male, died on June 18, 2015, from a gunshot wound to the face in the home he shared with his girlfriend.
The initial call to 911 was made by his live-in girlfriend, Nicole Dukarm, who was 20 years old at the time and a student at Tulane University.
In that first report, she claimed that Alex had shot himself. However, as the New Orleans Police Department began their investigation, her account of the events began to change.
Under questioning, Dukarm's initial story crumbled, and she confessed that she had been the one to fire the weapon. She told investigators that she had been playing with the gun when it accidentally discharged, striking Przybyl in the face. Emergency medical services were dispatched to the scene, but their efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the residence.
Following her confession, Nicole Dukarm was arrested and booked on a charge of negligent homicide. The maximum sentence for this charge was noted to be five years in prison. She was held on a $50,000 bond. Her attorney described the incident as a 'tragedy' and stated that his client was traumatized by the event. He suggested that her initial, conflicting statements to the police may have been a result of shock.
According to her attorney, the couple had been planning a trip to a gun range, which is why the firearm was accessible. He stated that Przybyl had handed her the pistol after removing the clip, telling her it was safe to handle. The lawyer surmised that a round had been left in the chamber, and this was the bullet that was tragically discharged.
After her arrest, Dukarm was released on bail and was permitted to return to her home in Western New York, as she had no prior criminal history. While the initial arrest and charges were reported, the final legal outcome of the negligent homicide charge against Nicole Dukarm, including any trial, conviction, or sentencing, is not detailed in the publicly available online news sources.
