U.S. Army Spouse at Fort Eisenhower Faces Federal Murder Charge

Augusta, GA – April Evalyn Short, a 30-year-old U.S. Army spouse residing at Fort Eisenhower, formerly Fort Gordon, is in federal custody on a murder charge, including an aggravating circumstance of the alleged crime occurring during an act of child abuse. Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced the charge.

Short recently appeared for an initial hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps and has not entered a plea. She is currently held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, awaiting further legal proceedings. Short is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

According to the criminal complaint, on the morning of November 15, 2023, Short allegedly used a knife to cut the neck of an 11-month-old child who was later pronounced dead at Eisenhower Army Medical Center.

The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, with assistance from the FBI, is conducting the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry W. Syms Jr. and Patricia G. Rhodes are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Contact Barry L. Paschal, Public Affairs Officer, at 912-652-4422.