Fort Eisenhower Mother Pleads Guilty to Murdering Young Son

The wife of a Fort Eisenhower soldier who was charged with fatally stabbing their 11-month-old son in November, 2023, has entered a plea of guilty to the charges against her and now awaits sentencing.

April Evalyn Short pled guilty to Murder in the Second Degree in U.S. District Court, according to Tara M. Lyons, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

"The plea agreement in this disturbing case represents a difficult but appropriate resolution to this tragic and shocking homicide," said Lyons.

As described in the plea agreement, Short killed her 11-month-old son "willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with malice aforethought," using a knife.

The plea agreement says Short could receive a sentence of 20 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and five years of supervised release following her prison term. She remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall will schedule Short's sentencing after a presentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services has been completed.

James Short got a text message from his wife, April Short, at 8:01 a.m. November 15, 2023 that read, "The days of darkness are upon us."

The concerned drill sergeant at Fort Eisenhower rushed to their home on post where he said his wife had barricaded herself in a bedroom with the couple's three children.

Short called 911 when he wasn't able to get into the room.

As police arrived, April Short left the room with the couple's two older children, ages 6 and 11, and tried to leave in the family's vehicle before she was stopped by police.

Meanwhile, the Short's 11-month-old son was found in the bathroom of the home, bleeding from his neck. He was taken to Eisenhower Army Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 9:34 a.m.

The other children told police their mother cut the baby's neck so he could "be with Jesus and God."

Short told investigators she knew was she did was "wrong" and "evil."