ST. LOUIS, MO (April 11, 2025) — Andrew Barnett, 44, was sentenced on Friday to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the killing of 34-year-old Kristopher Schmeiderer, who died from complications related to a stabbing that occurred in 2014.

Barnett pleaded guilty on April 4, 2025, to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. The charges stem from a violent confrontation on May 8, 2014, outside a bar in the 6300 block of Alabama Avenue in South St. Louis City. Barnett and Schmeiderer, both regulars at the bar, got into a heated argument that escalated outside. Barnett stabbed Schmeiderer in the neck and stomach before fleeing the scene.

Police apprehended Barnett shortly afterward and noticed a laceration on his right thumb. Blood-stained clothing was later recovered from a storm sewer near Barnett's parents' home, and DNA testing confirmed the blood matched Barnett's profile.

Schmeiderer survived the initial attack but was left quadriplegic and dependent on a ventilator. He died from complications related to his injuries on November 30, 2015.

Barnett was originally convicted of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, but the verdict was overturned on appeal due to the trial court's failure to give a self-defense instruction. He was re-indicted by a grand jury in 2021.

Barnett has prior convictions for third-degree assault and driving while under the influence.

Head of Homicide Tanja Engelhardt and Assistant Circuit Attorney Allan Kaiser prosecuted the case.

"Kristopher Schmeiderer spent his final year and a half paralyzed and on a ventilator because of Andrew Barnett's actions," said St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. "This wasn't just a bar fight—it was a violent act that robbed a man of his life and a family of their son, dad, brother, and friend."

Barnett's case number is 2122-CR00271.