Mother demands Navy reform after sailor murdered by shipmate under sex assault probe

Petty Officer Angelina Resendiz was strangled by a fellow sailor in Norfolk, VA, who had been transferred despite two sexual assault investigations. Her mother is calling for systemic Navy reform.

Navy Allowed Transfer of Suspect in Two Sexual Assault Cases Before Sailor's Murder

Esmeralda Castle is convinced the U.S. Navy bears direct responsibility for the death of her daughter, Petty Officer Angelina Resendiz, murdered by a shipmate in Norfolk, Virginia, on May 29, 2025. NPR National reported the case in a story by Steve Walsh of WHRO Norfolk.

"They could have stopped this," Castle said. "That's where they failed. He already had a history, and he harmed the first woman. He harmed the second one. They moved him. They could have done something."

Petty Officer Jeremiah Copeland confessed to strangling Resendiz in his barracks and has since been sentenced to 44 years in a military prison. According to charging documents, the Navy had approved Copeland's transfer to Resendiz's ship, the USS James E. Williams, from the USS Harry S. Truman just months before the killing — even though he was already under investigation in connection with two sexual assault cases, including one in which he allegedly strangled a woman.

Body Hidden for 11 Days; Chief Petty Officer Walked Away

To buy time, prosecutors said at Copeland's sentencing hearing, he wrapped Resendiz's body in a blanket and staged the scene as though the two were asleep together in his barracks. A chief petty officer came upon the staged scene the morning after the murder and left without checking on her. It would take 11 days for Resendiz's body to be found.

Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer now teaching at Southwestern Law School, said the conviction does not address the deeper failure.

"Where's the accountability for his command chain who failed to protect this young service member from a fellow service member that they were already on notice was dangerous?" VanLandingham said.

Parallels Drawn to Vanessa Guillén Case

Advocates point to similarities between Resendiz's case and that of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, who was murdered by a fellow soldier in 2020. In that case, the Army initially treated Guillén as absent without leave, delaying the search for her. The resulting public outcry led to changes in how the military handles sexual assault cases and missing service members. According to VanLandingham, the Army subsequently disciplined 21 people in connection with failures surrounding Guillén's death.

"There were supposed to be lessons learned across the board, including what you do when a soldier goes missing," VanLandingham said. "And the Navy here missed the memo on what to do."

Copeland and his military defense team have not made public statements outside the courtroom. Prosecutors stated that Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents logged more than 4,000 hours investigating the case.

Navy Review Underway, Results Not Yet Released

Last September, then-Navy Secretary John Phelan announced a review into several aspects of the case, including how and why Copeland was approved for transfer to Resendiz's ship. That review began approximately a year ago; its findings have not been made public.

Castle is now calling on the Navy to establish an independent review panel, modeled on the process the Army undertook following Guillén's death.

"We're still not done," Castle said. "This isn't justice. This is a process, and justice is when everyone is safe and that this doesn't happen again. And if it does happen again, they have an avenue for accountability."

Source: NPR National