Sgt. Brittney Niecol Silvers, of Jacksonville, Fla., was an automated logistical specialist in the 101st Airborne Division’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. (U.S. Army)
(Tribune News Service) — A federal jury has found an estranged husband guilty of killing his wife, an Army sergeant stationed at Fort Campbell.
Brittney Silvers had been shot three times when she was found dead on Oct. 14, 2018, at Fort Campbell, Ky., according to a criminal complaint. Victor Silvers, Brittney’s estranged husband she was in the process of divorcing, was quickly identified as a suspect.
An attorney for Victor Silvers could not be immediately reached by McClatchy News.
Five days before the shooting, Brittney Silvers had been granted a restraining order against her estranged husband, court documents show. The domestic violence order prohibited Victor Silvers from being within 300 feet of his wife.
He was also prohibited from purchasing a firearm, but First Coast News reported he bought one from Academy Sports about four months before the shooting.
That gun was dislodged from Victor Silvers by one of Brittney Silvers’ friends, who was also shot, officials said.
Brittney Silvers was shot in the back of the head, a neighbor told police. The neighbor and his roommate saw the shooter in his vehicle, and when they tried to secure the scene, he shouted, “Just shoot me,” court records show.
Military police detained Victor Silvers and he initially said two other men shot his wife and her friend, but he later admitted he was the shooter, police said.
Victor Silvers was found guilty on Wednesday, Dec. 7, of first-degree murder, attempted murder, domestic violence resulting in death and numerous firearm charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.
The Leaf Chronicle reported Brittney Silvers was in an abusive relationship with her husband, and her family believes the military police should be held accountable for the shooting.
“They need to change their policies to protect people better because he could have not just killed her and him, he could have killed other people there as well,” Brittney Stivers’ cousin, Monique Brown, told the publication.
Brittney Silvers, originally from Jacksonville, Fla., was a decorated soldier who “was posthumously promoted to sergeant and received the Army Commendation Medal,” First Coast News reported.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Victor Silvers faces life in prison without parole. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 22, 2023.
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