Federal Jury Convicts Tennessee Man of First Degree Murder in Death of His U.S. Army Soldier Wife at Fort Campbell

Paducah, KY – Yesterday, a federal jury convicted a Clarksville, Tennessee man (formerly of Jacksonville, Florida) of first-degree murder, attempted murder, domestic violence resulting in death, violation of a protective order resulting in death, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and two counts of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.  

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ronald Yeatts of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, Mid Central Field Office, made the announcement. 

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Victor E. Silvers, 33, drove from his Clarksville, Tennessee residence to the Fort Campbell, Kentucky military installation on October 14, 2018. Silvers then shot his estranged wife, Brittney Silvers, three times, killing her. Silvers also shot another man, James Keating. Five days before the murder, Brittney Silvers had been granted a Domestic Violence Order of Protection that prohibited Silvers from being within 300 feet of her or committing violent acts against her. Due to the Domestic Violence Order of Protection entered against him, Silvers was prohibited from possessing a firearm.  Brittney Silvers was a U.S. Army Soldier assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky at the time of her murder. 

Sentencing for Silvers is scheduled for February 22, 2023, before a U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Kentucky. Silvers remains in custody pending sentencing. He faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the FBI, ATF, and U.S. Army CID.     

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Hancock, Leigh Ann Dycus, and Raymond McGee prosecuted the case with the assistance of paralegal Christy Crockett.

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