A Navy sailor pleaded guilty Monday to killing Petty Officer 3rd Class Angelina Resendiz, accepting a plea agreement that calls for at least 40 years in military prison and closes one part of a case that has drawn scrutiny over how the Navy handled her disappearance.
Seaman Jermiah Copeland pleaded guilty at Naval Station Norfolk to unpremeditated murder, aggravated assault by strangulation, indecent recording, making a false official statement and multiple obstruction of justice counts, according to local courtroom reporting and multiple reports. Copeland was found not guilty of premeditated murder, several sexual assault allegations, and domestic violence charges, according to WAVY, an NBC affiliate in Norfolk, Va.
Under the plea agreement, Copeland will receive no less than 40 years and two months in confinement at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Leavenworth, Kan. He will also receive a dishonorable discharge, forfeit all pay and allowances, and be reduced in rank to seaman apprentice, according to reports.
The military court was expected to formally sentence Copeland on Tuesday after additional defense evidence and deliberations, according to Stars and Stripes.
Military.com reached out for comment Tuesday to Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez’s office for comment.
Plea Comes One Year After Resendiz Disappeared
Resendiz, a 21-year-old culinary specialist assigned to the destroyer USS James E. Williams, disappeared from her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk on May 29, 2025. Her body was found 11 days later in a wooded area in Norfolk’s Broad Creek neighborhood, several miles from the base.
WTKR, a CBS affiliate in Norfolk, Va., reported that Copeland admitted in court that he strangled Resendiz in his barracks room after the two had been drinking. He also admitted that he lied to Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents when he initially claimed he had returned Resendiz to her room.
Copeland told the court he killed Resendiz by strangling her with both hands on the floor of his barracks room, then concealed her body in a suitcase in his closet before later disposing of it in a wooded area, according to Stars and Stripes.
The plea marks a major turn in a case that previously had been scheduled for a two-week trial. It also leaves unresolved questions raised by Resendiz’s family and lawmakers about how the Navy responded after she was reported missing.
Friends and family members said they sounded alarms after Resendiz disappeared. However, the Navy initially treated her as absent without leave—a decision that delayed a broader missing-person response and became a central point of criticism from her mother, Esmeralda Castle.
Mother Says Navy Gave Family False Hope
Castle testified Monday about the impact of her daughter’s death and spoke afterward about a private meeting she had with Copeland during the proceedings. She said Copeland apologized and cried during the meeting, according to reports.
“I finally heard the truth. That’s all I want,” Castle told Stars and Stripes. “I thanked him for speaking the truth, and how it happened. He said ‘sorry.’ He cried.”
Castle also told reporters she did not want anger to control her life, but she continued to criticize how the Navy handled information while her daughter was missing.
WAVY reported that Castle said she was told her daughter was OK during the search.
“’She was okay,’” Castle said, according to the outlet. “Those were the words that came out of their mouths. ‘She’s fine. We found her.’ Somebody was lying to everyone.”
Castle has pushed for accountability beyond Copeland’s conviction, arguing that Navy leaders should answer for decisions made after Resendiz disappeared and for how Copeland was able to remain in service despite prior allegations.
Shipmates Remember Resendiz
Several sailors from the USS James E. Williams testified Monday about Resendiz’s impact on her shipmates, according to WAVY.
One described her as a “pocketful of sunshine,” while another said a picture of Resendiz hangs in the ship’s galley in her honor.
Sailors carry the flag-draped casket of Navy Seaman Angelina Resendiz during funeral services. Resendiz’s family is seeking accountability from the Navy after she was reported missing and later found dead. (Courtesy of Esmeralda Castle)
Daniel Rich, a former sailor who knew Resendiz, testified that she called him from Copeland’s barracks the night she was killed and was “freaking out” and begging him to pick her up.
“I should have gotten there faster,” Rich said, recalling how the day chaplains came to the USS James E. Williams after Resendiz’s body was found. “I never saw so many people crying.”
The case has drawn comparisons to other military deaths that led families and lawmakers to press for changes in how the armed forces respond to missing service members and allegations of sexual violence. Gonzalez, a Texas Democrat, previously called for a broader investigation into the events surrounding Resendiz’s death and her chain of command’s handling of her disappearance.
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