Navy Sailor Sentenced for Murder

A U.S. Navy sailor has received a 44-year prison sentence for the murder of a fellow service member. The body of Petty Officer Angelina Resendiz was discovered in a wooded area in Virginia.

Petty Officer Jamia Copeland admitted guilt to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) regarding Resendiz’s death during a general court martial in Norfolk, Virginia. The announcement was made on Tuesday.

“Private Copeland must take full responsibility for his heinous actions that resulted in the tragic murder of Private Resendiz,” stated Special Agent in Charge Emily Schmidt.

According to Copeland, on May 29, 2025, he and Resendiz, 21, were socializing at Naval Base Norfolk’s Miller Hall, where they had been drinking and kissing. He claimed she became upset over a phone call he made. In an attempt to calm her down, he jumped on her and strangled her, stating she was “starting to freak out.”

“I killed Ms. CS3 Resendiz on May 29, 2025… I strangled her with my hands,” Copeland told the judge.

NCIS reports that Resendiz was last seen at the barracks on May 29 around 10 p.m. On June 1, authorities questioned Copeland about her whereabouts, as her body was found in a closet.

Copeland confessed to lying at first, claiming he had taken her back to the barracks. Resendiz’s remains were discovered on June 9, twelve days after she vanished, about 10 miles from the base.

He admitted to disposing of her body in a Navy-issue black duffel bag. “I knew people were looking for her. If they found her in my closet, I would be in trouble,” he told the court.

During pre-trial proceedings, prosecutors presented cell phone data that indicated Copeland’s watch tracked Resendiz as she moved about the barracks early on June 2. His GPS also recorded him driving away from the base, leading authorities to where her body was ultimately found.

Under a plea agreement, Copeland was convicted on five of seven charges, which included aggravated assault by strangulation, obstruction of justice, and the premeditated murder charge was amended to a lesser degree of premeditated murder.

Notably, Copeland also confessed to strangling another woman aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in July 2024, as well as secretly recording another in a bathroom. He will face a dishonorable discharge, lose pay, and be demoted to apprentice seaman, the lowest rank for a petty officer. Upon release, he will be required to register as a sex offender.

The plea deal stipulates that Copeland must meet with Resendiz’s mother, Esmeralda Castle. She expressed her hope that, despite the pain caused by his actions, Copeland could still work towards personal redemption.

“You still have life,” Castle recollected telling him. “It’s a shame to be on the other side of this wall, but you still have life and you can still do good things on the other side of the wall.”

Copeland will serve his sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Leavenworth, Kansas.