Plea and Sentencing for the Shooting Death of Lee Knoetig in Nashua, New Hampshire

Concord, NH - Attorney General John M. Formella and Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke announce that earlier today Alexander Wheeler (age 20) pleaded guilty and was sentenced in connection with his shooting death of Lee Knoetig (age 53) in Nashua, New Hampshire, on August 5, 2022.

As part of a negotiated disposition, Mr. Wheeler, initially charged with alternative counts of second-degree murder, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, as well as a count of falsifying physical evidence for discarding the pistol that he used to shoot and kill Mr. Knoetig.

After the guilty pleas, Mr. Wheeler was sentenced pursuant to the negotiated disposition.  The Court imposed a stand-committed sentence of 15-30 years on the manslaughter charge, and a consecutive sentence of 3-6 years on the falsifying count.  As part of the sentence, Mr. Wheeler can petition for a suspension of two years of his sentence if he receives no major prison infractions in five years, and also can petition for suspension of two years of his sentence if he obtains an Associate’s Degree.