Joseph Quail was 19 when he was found dead in a Waterloo, Iowa, residence on January 15, 2024. Police discovered he had sustained a fatal shotgun blast to the chest and recovered a shotgun inside the home.

An 18-year-old, Danielle Otterson, was arrested and charged in connection with Quail’s death; charges included involuntary manslaughter and possession of a short-barreled shotgun. In court Otterson said the shooting was accidental, stating she was handling a sawed-off shotgun and that her finger slipped while working the slide, causing the gun to discharge; she also said she believed the gun was not loaded. Her attorneys cited a difficult upbringing and that she was still a high school student as mitigating circumstances, while the prosecutor pointed to drug use and alleged probation violations during pre-trial release.

Otterson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two concurrent five-year prison terms and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution. Does anyone have information about the residence, the shotgun, or events that night that could shed more light on what happened?