Former U.S. Army soldier found guilty of murdering pregnant soldier: USDOJ
PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — A former U.S. Army soldier who murdered a 19-year-old pregnant soldier was convicted for what one attorney called “a horrific act of violence” 22 years later, according to the United States Department of Justice.
UPDATE: 17-year-old killed in Mobile shooting
The soldier, identified as 43-year-old Shannon L. Wilkerson, was found guilty of murdering then-19-year-old Amanda Gonzales by a Pensacola federal jury, the DOJ announced Tuesday.
According to a DOJ news release, the sentencing comes after court documents and evidence shown in a November 2001 trial proved that Wilkerson “beat and strangled Amanda Gonzales to death in her barracks room at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, then a U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany.”
Previous reporting suggests that Gonzales was 4 months pregnant when she was murdered.
Wilkerson was originally arrested and charged with one count of first-degree murder in February of 2023, according to a different release.
He was originally charged under the “Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which gives U.S. federal courts jurisdiction over crimes committed outside of the country by former Armed Forces members who are no longer subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
Wilkerson was convicted of second-degree murder, according to the release. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
“The murder of Amanda Gonzales and her unborn child was a horrific act of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody for the Northern District of Florida. “This decades-long investigation and resulting prosecution demonstrate the unwavering resolve of our law enforcement partners and their commitment to use every tool available to protect Americans, especially those serving our country.”
Mobile man arrested after deputies find 2 pounds of marijuana, Glock switch: MCSO
The FBI New York Field Office and the Department of Army’s Criminal Investigative Division investigated the case, according to the release.
Trial Attorney Patrick Jasperse of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg for the Northern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
