A former U.S. soldier has been convicted for the murder of a pregnant, 19-year-old fellow soldier on a U.S. Army base in Germany more than 22 years ago.
A federal jury in Pensacola, Florida, convicted Shannon L. Wilkerson, 43, in the 2001 beating and strangulation death of Amanda Gonzales.
Wilkerson believed she was pregnant with his child.
Gonzales was killed in her barracks room at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, then a U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany. Wilkerson was a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of the offense but was later discharged.
"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."
In 2011, the Army raised a reward in connection with the case to $125,000.
The FBI announced the arrest of Wilkerson in Feb. 2023.
The jury convicted him of second-degree murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The FBI New York Field Office investigated this case, with assistance from the Department of Army's Criminal Investigative Division, which originally investigated the case.
