Shannon L. Wilkerson, Murder, Florida 2023

Florida Soldier Sentenced to 30 Years for Murder

A former U.S. soldier was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the brutal murder of a pregnant fellow soldier on a U.S. Army base in Germany over 22 years ago.

Shannon L. Wilkerson, 44, was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Amanda Gonzales, a 19-year-old pregnant soldier, on May 7, in Pensacola, Florida.

According to court documents, Wilkerson beat and strangled Gonzales to death on November 3, 2001, in her barracks room at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, a U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany. Evidence introduced at trial indicated that Wilkerson feared he was the father of Gonzales’ unborn child and that her pregnancy would interfere with his military career and his marriage to another soldier on the base.

Wilkerson, a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of the offense, was later discharged. The sentence acknowledges the brutal, selfish nature of Wilkerson’s crime and imposes just punishment, according to U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody for the Northern District of Florida.

The murder of Amanda Gonzales and her unborn child was a horrific act of violence, said Coody. This decades-long investigation and resulting prosecution demonstrate the unwavering resolve of our law enforcement partners and their commitment to obtain justice for the victims and their family.

The FBI New York and Jacksonville Field Offices investigated this case, with assistance from the Army Criminal Investigative Division, which originally investigated the case. 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 prosecuted the case.

“Justice for victims is not just a promise, it’s a commitment, no matter how long it takes,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “This sentencing comes just as Amanda Gonzales’ family will mark 23 years since she and her unborn child were brutally murdered by Shannon Wilkerson on November 3, 2001. While no amount of prison time will bring the young Army solider back, we hope this will close another chapter in the Gonzales family’s grieving process.”

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, also praised the dedication and hard work of the investigators and prosecutors involved in the case. “Shannon Wilkerson brutally murdered Amanda Gonzales, a fellow soldier who Wilkerson knew was pregnant at the time,” said Argentieri. “While nothing we can do will reunite Amanda with her family, we hope today’s sentencing brings some measure of closure and comfort to Amanda’s loved ones.”

Mandatory Facts:

• Defendant: Shannon L. Wilkerson
• Criminal Charge: Second-Degree Murder
• City and State: Pensacola, Florida
• Exact Date: May 7, 2023
• Sentence: 30 years in prison

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