A former U.S. Army soldier was convicted by a federal jury in Pensacola, Florida, on Monday in the decades-old killing of a pregnant soldier overseas.
Shannon Wilkerson, 43, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the beating and strangling death of 19-year-old Pfc. Amanda Gonzales, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.
The crime took place in her barracks room at Fliegerhorst Kaserne – a former Army base in Hanau, Germany – in November 2001.
Her body was found on Nov. 5 after she didn’t show up to her job as a cook in the Headquarters Supply Company of the 127th Aviation Support battalion.
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Gonzales was four months pregnant with what Wilkerson believed to be his child when he killed her, said Executive Assistant Director Timothy Langan Jr. of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch.
“Twenty-two years ago, Shannon Wilkerson brutally murdered Amanda Gonzales, who he believed was pregnant with his child,” Langan said in a statement. “Yesterday’s conviction is a testament to our unwavering commitment of pursuing justice for victims of violent crime. Through the collaboration of law enforcement, 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 he was discharged from active duty in 2004, Fox News Digital previously reported.
He was arrested on Feb. 23, 2023, and charged under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which gives U.S. federal courts jurisdiction over crimes committed outside the country by former servicemembers who are no longer subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the DOJ said.
Wilkerson is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8 and faces life in prison.
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