Navy sailor sentenced to 44 years for killing fellow service member Angelina Resendiz in his Virginia barracks room
A US Navy sailor was sentenced to 44 years in prison for strangling his fellow service member, whose body was later found in a wooded area of Virginia.Petty Officer Jermiah Copeland pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection with the death of Petty Officer Angelina Resendiz at a general court-martial in Norfolk, Va., the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) announced Tuesday.“Petty Officer Copeland deserves to be held fully accountable for his heinous actions that resulted in the tragic murder of Petty Officer Resendiz,” Special Agent in Charge Emily Schmid said.Copeland told investigators that Resendiz, 21, was in his barracks in Miller Hall on Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, hanging out, drinking, and kissing on May 29, 2025, when she got upset about something on his phone, according to USNI News.He admitted that he jumped on top of Resendiz and strangled her when she “started freaking out” and he tried to quiet her down.“I killed CS3 Resendiz on May 29, 2025… I strangled her with my hands,” Copeland told the judge on Monday, according to the outlet.Resendiz, 21, was last seen on May 29 at her barracks in Miller Hall around 10 p.m., NCIS said.Officials had questioned Copeland over Resendiz’s whereabouts on June 1, while her body was inside his closet.Copeland admitted that he lied to investigators and said he had taken her back to her barracks.Resendiz’s body was discovered in a wooded area in Norfolk, about 10 miles off base, on June 9 — 12 days after her disappearance.
He then said he dumped her body inside a Navy-issued black wheeled duffel bag, according to USNI News.“I knew people were looking for her and if she was found in my closet, I would be in trouble,” Copeland told the court.Prosecutors presented cell phone data at a pre-trial hearing showing Copeland’s watch tracked him descending stairs around 4 a.m.on June 2, the outlet reported.His GPS also placed him driving off base, and at 4:47 a.m.
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