Shannon L. Wilkerson, Second-Degree Murder, Florida 2023

A federal jury in Pensacola, Florida, has convicted a former U.S. Army soldier in a 22-year-old cold case murder on a U.S. Army base in Germany.

Shannon L. Wilkerson, 43, was convicted of the second-degree murder of 19-year-old pregnant soldier Amanda Gonzales, who was found dead in her barracks room at Fliegerhorst Kaserne on November 3, 2001.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Wilkerson brutally beat and strangled Gonzales, who was pregnant at the time of her murder. Wilkerson was a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of the offense but was later discharged.

The jury convicted Wilkerson of second-degree murder, and he is scheduled to be sentenced on August 8. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The FBI New York Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Department of Army's Criminal Investigative Division, which originally investigated the case.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri said, 'The defendant violently beat and murdered Amanda Gonzales—a fellow soldier who was pregnant at the time—at a U.S. Army base in Germany in 2001.'

U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody added, '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.'

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/man-convicted-cold-case-murder-military-base-germany