Fort Eisenhower Woman Pleads Guilty to Stabbing Murder of Infant Son

A U.S. Army spouse has pleaded guilty to the murder of her 11-month-old son and awaits sentencing in federal court.

April Evalyn Short, 31, of Fort Eisenhower, pleaded guilty to Murder in the Second Degree, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Tara M. Lyons announced. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Short faces a sentence of 20 years in prison, financial penalties, and five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Short killed her son on Nov. 15, 2023, at Fort Eisenhower, stabbing the child “willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with malice aforethought.”

Short remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule sentencing following a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.

“This plea is a testament to the outstanding investigative efforts of our Army CID personnel, particularly the child forensic interview team, as well as the dedication of the DOJ prosecution and Victim Advocacy teams,” said Steven Ausfeldt, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division Southeast Field Office.

Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, stated, “This plea cannot undo that tragedy and loss, but brings another measure of justice to those who knew and loved the child during his short life.”

The case was investigated by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division with assistance from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Henry W. Syms Jr. and Patricia G. Rhodes are prosecuting the case.