“Let’s Play Russian Roulette”: Ohio Man Kills Friend During Card Game After Pointing Gun at His Own Head, Prosecutors Say

CINCINNATI, OHIO – A 23-year-old man has been charged with murder after prosecutors say he shot his friend in the chest during a late-night card game that turned deadly when he suggested they “play Russian roulette.”

“He Put the Gun to His Head First”

According to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office, Omarion Horne was arrested after fatally shooting Rachel Counts, also 23, inside a home in the Winton Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati on October 5.

Investigators say Horne was playing cards with Counts and their partners when he produced a revolver, emptied all but one round, and announced, “Let’s play Russian roulette.”

Prosecutors told the court that Horne first pointed the gun at his own head and pulled the trigger — then aimed it at Counts and fired. The bullet struck her in the chest, killing her instantly.

When Cincinnati firefighters arrived at the scene, Counts was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead.

“It’s sad that people use a firearm as a toy,” said Judge William Mallory during Horne’s arraignment. “If these circumstances are true, this is truly a tragedy.”

Suspect Held on $1 Million Bond

Police arrested Horne the following day, and he appeared in Hamilton County Court on October 10, where prosecutors detailed the horrifying sequence of events.

Judge Mallory ordered Horne held on $1 million bond at the Hamilton County Jail. His next court hearing is scheduled for October 16.

Authorities have not said whether alcohol or drugs were involved, but investigators described the incident as an avoidable and senseless death.

Prosecutors: “A Deadly Game That Should Never Have Been Played”

Court records show that neither Horne nor Counts had prior violent offenses. Prosecutors emphasized that the case was not premeditated, but rather an act of reckless indifference that ended in tragedy.

“This was a game that should never have been played,” one assistant prosecutor told local reporters. “Someone’s life ended for no reason.”

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