Nashua Man Sentenced To 15+ Years On Manslaughter, Evidence Charges

NASHUA, NH — A man from Nashua who caused the death of another Nashua man last August has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and been sentenced to prison for at least 15 years.

Alexander Wheeler, 20, who was facing a second-degree murder charge for killing Lee Knoetig, 55, in Nashua on Aug. 5, 2022, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and falsifying physical charges on Wednesday, Michael Garrity, the director of communications for the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.

Knoetig was killed outside of the Sunoco gas station on Amherst Street due to a gunshot wound to the chest.

As part of a negotiated plea deal, he said, Wheeler was sentenced to a stand-committed sentence of 15 to 30 years on the manslaughter count and a consecutive three-to-six year sentence on the evidence charge.

“As part of the sentence,” Garrity said, “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.”

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