Airman Charles Wilson of Robins Air Force Base is finally facing his court-martial for allegedly killing his fiancée and their unborn child.

Charles Amos Wilson III, 29, a support member of the 461st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, is charged with the premeditated murder in the fatal shooting of Tameda Ferguson, 30, at her Dawson home in August 2013. Ferguson was 8-1/2 months pregnant.

Wilson was arrested two days later on charges of murder and feticide after an investigation by the GBI and Terrell County Sheriff’s Office.

This is the third of three court-martials Wilson is facing for a group of alleged crimes. His prior two trials have had a mix of results.

As previously noted, the charge of killing the unborn child is notable simply because of the military’s apparent reticence at times to even bring the charge.

For example, then US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan committed a massacre, and the military prosecuted him for 13 deaths — but not, notably, the death of the unborn child he also killed.  Amazingly, it seems most people didn’t care.

Had that child been a single day old, do you think the response would have been different?

For those curious, the UCMJ has a charge specifically for the death of an unborn child (Article 119a).  They simply chose not to use it.

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