Navy Sailor Admits to Murdering Fellow Service Member
A Navy sailor has confessed to killing a fellow soldier, a case that, according to the victim’s mother, should have been prevented by military oversight.
Jeremiah Copeland, a CS3, pleaded guilty to the unpremeditated murder of CS3 Angelina Rezendiz during a general court martial. It was reported that the sailor admitted to strangling her in the barracks; both served on the guided missile destroyer USS James E. Williams.
“I killed CS3 Resendiz on May 29, 2025…I strangled her with my hands,” Copeland told the military judge.
Additionally, Copeland admitted to other offenses, including making false public statements about the incident, assaulting another victim by strangling him, and recording indecent images of yet another victim. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop several charges.
Copeland is set to receive a sentence of over 40 years in prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, which will also include a dishonorable discharge, loss of pay, demotion to a seafaring apprenticeship, and mandatory registration as a sex offender.
Reports indicate Copeland was already facing charges prior to the murder, including allegations of raping a sailor onboard the USS Harry S. Truman and an assault in July 2024. Another rape charge involving a civilian from Norfolk was filed just days before Rezendiz went missing.
Esme Castle, Rezendiz’s mother, expressed relief at her daughter’s case’s resolution but criticized Navy leadership for failing to act on prior allegations against Copeland. “This situation absolutely could have been prevented,” she stated, suggesting that Navy leaders should face severe consequences for their inaction.
“If they had taken action when he started harming women, he would never have gotten close to Angie,” Castle lamented.
She also conveyed a message to Copeland, hoping he could learn from his actions: “He can still make better choices.”
The Navy, however, has denied any mismanagement of the situation. Castle maintained a focus on resilience, choosing not to be defined by negativity.
