Published Jun 9, 2026, 12:41 PM EDT
Sailor Spending 40 Years in Prison for Killing Navy Seaman Angelina Resendiz
Jermiah Copeland pleaded guilty to unpremeditated murder and other charges.
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.
