Former Army soldier found guilty of murdering pregnant soldier overseas in 2001
A former U.S. Army soldier was convicted Monday by a federal jury in Pensacola, Florida, of the decades-old murder of a pregnant soldier overseas.
Shannon Wilkerson, 43, was convicted of second-degree murder for beating and strangling a 19-year-old soldier. Amanda Gonzales, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
The crime took place at the Fliegerhorst Kaserne barracks, a former military base in Hanau, Germany, in November 2001.
Her body was found on November 5 after she failed to show up for work as a cook at the 127th Aviation Support Battalion Headquarters Supply Company.
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Army Pfc. Amanda Gonzales was four months pregnant when she was murdered while she was stationed in Germany more than two decades ago. (FBI)
Gonzales was four months pregnant with what Wilkerson believed was her child when he killed her, said Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan Jr. of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Division.
“Twenty-two years ago, Shannon Wilkerson brutally murdered Amanda Gonzales, who she believed was pregnant with her child,” Langan said in a statement. “Yesterday’s conviction is a testament to our unwavering commitment to seeking justice for victims of violent crimes. Through law enforcement collaboration, the FBI and our partners will continue to seek justice for victims, no matter how long it takes. “.
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Wilkerson was a soldier at the time of Gonzales’ murder, but was discharged from active duty in 2004, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Wilkerson was arrested on February 23, 2023, following the decades-long death of his fellow soldier, Pfc. Amanda Gonzales, who was four months pregnant when she was murdered. (Escambia County Jail)
He was arrested on February 23, 2023 and charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which gives US federal courts jurisdiction over crimes committed outside the country by former service members who are no longer subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the Justice Department said. .
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Wilkerson is scheduled to be sentenced on August 8 and faces life in prison.
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