Navy Sailor Pleads Guilty to Murder of Fellow Service Member; Prior Allegations of Violence Questioned

Petty Officer Jermiah Copeland was sentenced to 44 years in federal prison at a general court-martial in Norfolk, Virginia, after pleading guilty to the unpremeditated murder of Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Angelina Resendiz, a 21-year-old sailor assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams. Copeland admitted that on May 29, 2025, after the two had been drinking and kissing in his barracks room, he strangled Resendiz with his hands after she became upset over a notification on his phone. He concealed her body in his closet for several days, lied to NCIS investigators about her whereabouts, and then transported her remains in a Navy-issued black duffel bag to a wooded area in Norfolk's Broad Creek area, approximately ten miles from the base, where her decomposing body was found on June 9. Digital forensic evidence — including smartwatch data, GPS tracking, and a Google Maps screenshot Copeland took near the dump site — was central to the investigation. In addition to the murder conviction, Copeland pleaded guilty to aggravated assault by strangulation of a second woman aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in July 2024, indecent recording of a third woman, obstruction of justice, and making a false official statement; he will receive a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay, demotion to Seaman Apprentice, and mandatory sex offender registration upon release. Resendiz's mother, Esmeralda Castle, who met privately with Copeland as part of the plea agreement, has been a vocal critic of the Navy's handling of prior allegations against him and has lobbied Congress and state lawmakers for military reform, with advocates holding rallies outside the U.S. Capitol calling for an end to military sexual assault. The case has drawn widespread comparisons to the murder of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, whose 2020 killing at Fort Hood prompted sweeping reforms to how the military investigates sexual misconduct.