Fort Stewart Stabber Gets Life: Booker Sentenced

SAVANNAH, GA – A former U.S. Army sergeant is spending the rest of his life behind bars for a brutal stabbing death at Fort Stewart. Byron Booker, 29, of Ludowici, Georgia, received a life sentence in federal prison after admitting to the premeditated murder of Specialist Austin J. Hawk.

The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker, also includes a $2,500 fine and five years of supervised release – a hollow gesture considering there’s no parole in the federal system. U.S. Attorney David H. Estes, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, didn’t mince words: “Byron Booker squandered his own military career by illegally using drugs, and then murdered a former fellow soldier in cold blood in retaliation for that soldier honorably performing his duties.”

Court testimony revealed a chilling motive. Booker and his co-defendant, Jordan Brown, 21, of St. Marys, Georgia, plotted to “silence” Hawk after he reported Brown’s marijuana use to Army leadership. On June 17, 2020, Booker gained access to Hawk’s barracks room shortly after midnight and unleashed a savage attack, slashing and stabbing the 21-year-old Specialist 40 times with a sharp-edged weapon. The medical examiner’s report indicated many of the wounds were individually fatal. Booker even cut his own hand during the assault.

Hawk’s body was discovered the following day, a grim scene in the Fort Stewart barracks. While Booker is now facing the consequences, his accomplice, Jordan Brown, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty in December 2022 to Assault Upon a U.S. Servicemember Involving Bodily Injury or a Deadly Weapon, and Retaliation Against a Witness Involving Bodily Injury. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“This sentence holds Booker accountable for his actions and hopefully brings some closure to the victim’s family,” stated Rusty Higgason, assistant special agent-in-charge of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Southeast Field Office. FBI Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley added, “This sentence represents a measure of justice for Austin Hawk, a man who was murdered for simply following the rules.”

U.S. Attorney Estes praised the meticulous work of the forensic teams from Fort Stewart, Fort Bragg, Fort Gordon, Fort Jackson, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, and the FBI Crime Lab. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer G. Solari and Darron J. Hubbard prosecuted the case for the United States, securing a life sentence for a killer who traded his honor for a senseless act of violence. This case serves as a stark reminder that even within the ranks, justice will be served, no matter how deeply buried the truth may be.