A U.S. Army spouse from Fort Eisenhower, April Evalyn Short, has pleaded guilty to the murder of her infant son. The plea was announced by Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. Short, 31, admitted to Murder in the Second Degree and faces a sentence of 20 years in prison under a negotiated plea agreement. This agreement also includes significant financial penalties and five years of supervised release after her imprisonment. There is no possibility of parole.
“The plea agreement in this disturbing case represents a difficult but appropriate resolution to this tragic and shocking homicide,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lyons.
According to details from the plea agreement, on November 15, 2023, at Fort Eisenhower, Short killed her 11-month-old son “willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with malice aforethought,” using a knife.
Short is currently held by the U.S. Marshals Service as she awaits sentencing by U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall following a presentence investigation conducted by U.S. Probation Services.
Steven Ausfeldt, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Southeast Field Office stated: “This plea is a testament to the outstanding investigative efforts of our Army CID personnel...and is indicative of our commitment to ensure justice for victims of heinous crimes such as this.”
Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta commented: “April Short will now have 20 years to think about her heinous actions...this plea cannot undo that tragedy and loss but brings another measure of justice.”
The case is being investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry W. Syms Jr. and Patricia G. Rhodes.
For further inquiries, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.
