Ex-Army sergeant pleads guilty to murdering soldier in Fort Stewart barracks
FORT STEWART, Ga. - A former U.S. Army sergeant has pled guilty to murdering another soldier in a Fort Stewart barracks room.
Officials say 29-year-old Byron Booker of Ludowici, Georgia faces a mandatory minimum of life in prison for the murder of 21-year-old Specialist Austin J. Hawk.
"Byron Booker murdered a former fellow soldier in cold blood in retaliation for that soldier performing his duties as a service member," said U.S. Attorney Estes. "The FBI and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigative Division did outstanding work in solving this despicable crime and bringing Booker to justice."
According to prosecutors, Booker and 21-year-old co-defendance Jordan Brown talked about "silencing" Hawk to get back at him for reporting Brown for marijuana use.
In the plea agreement, Booker admitted to getting into Hawk's barracks room on the night of June 17, 2020, and stabbing him repeatedly. A medical examiner noted that Hawk had 40 separate stab or slash rooms.
The soldier's body was found in his room the next day.
"Hawk’s family and friends will never be rid of the pain this senseless murder has caused them, but hopefully it gives them some sense of resolve to know that justice will be served," said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.
A former U.S. Army sergeant has admitted he stabbed to death a former fellow soldier whose body was found in his Fort Stewart barracks room in June 2020.
Booker pled guilty to premeditated murder of a member of the United States uniform services. His co-defendent Brown awaits proceedings on charges of conspiracy, assault up a member of the United States uniformed services, conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, retaliation against a witness with bodily injury, retaliation against a witness with killing, murder of a member of the United States uniformed services, and premeditated murder.