Navy Region Mid-Atlantic confirmed a preliminary hearing will be held Sept. 18 in connection with the death of Seaman Angelina Resendiz.

Marshall Griffin, an attorney for Resendiz’s family, identified the suspect as Seaman Jermiah Copeland. According to the trial docket, a CSSN J. Copeland is scheduled for an Article 32 hearing the same date. 13 News Now, which has reviewed Copeland’s charge sheet, reported that the victim’s initials are listed as “A.R.”

The docket lists Copeland’s charges as murder, rape/sexual assault, other sexual misconduct, wrongful distribution of intimate visual images, obstruction of justice and false official statements.

The Navy has not confirmed whether formal charges have been filed.

Resendiz was reported missing from Naval Station Norfolk by a fellow sailor on May 29. On June 9, her body was found in a wooded area behind an elementary school in the Broad Creek neighborhood.

Angelina Resendiz in an undated selfie. (Courtesy of Esmeralda Castle)

A sailor was taken into pre-trial custody the next day.

In August, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Resendiz’s cause and manner of death undetermined. A statement from Resendiz’s mother, Esmeralda Castle, said that while she understood the ruling given the condition of her daughter’s body, the circumstances of her disappearance and death remained “deeply troubling.”

“Closure cannot come until the truth is revealed,” the statement read. “We cannot accept this as the end of the story.”

A letter sent July 10 to Navy Secretary John Phelan by U.S. Rep. Vincente Gonzalez of Resendiz’s hometown of Brownsville, Texas, asked for clarity on several points, including the chain of command’s response to her absence.

Phelan’s response, dated Sept. 2, provided few answers.

“The Navy is committed to examining the circumstances of and organizational response to her absence,” the letter said. “Once the review and the NCIS investigation are complete, we will pursue any necessary policy improvements to respect and honor our Service Members, our most precious resource.”

Emma Rose Brown, 757-805-2256, emma.brown@virginiamedia.com

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/09/09/resendiz-suspect-hearing/