Suspect in Murdered Navy Soldier's Death Identified by Family Attorney

An attorney representing the family of the murdered Navy seaman Angelina Petra Resendiz has identified the suspect the Navy has in custody in connection with her death. Attorney Marshall Griffin, who is representing Resendiz's mom, Esmeralda Castle, revealed the detainee's name in an interview with local Norfolk, Virginia, television station 10 WAVY.

"The Navy confirmed that Jeremiah Copeland is the person being detained or confined on suspicion in this case," Griffin said in an interview over the phone with 10 WAVY.  Castle, the mother of the 21‑year‑old Navy sailor, has spoken out forcefully following her daughter's disappearance and subsequent death. In an interview with Noticias Telemundo, Castle accused the Navy of dismissing her concerns and mishandling the case from the start.

She said that after Angelina failed to respond to messages, she called the base to raise the alarm. Her friend reported the situation to the base commander, only for the Navy to treat her as overdramatic. "When I called, a commander told me I was being overdramatic. He said that Angie was fine and that I was exaggerating." Castle shared.

No formal missing‑person report followed. Instead, on June 3, the Virginia State Police issued a "critically missing adult" alert. Her body was later discovered on June 9 in a wooded area near Naval Station Norfolk. Castle emphasized there was no personal notification of her daughter's death through military channels, commenting that to learn of the tragedy from media reports was "horrifying." Friends also indicated that Angelina had last been with a sailor she barely knew, not someone she had dated.

Griffin also stated the family's concerns with how the case has been handled, "Obviously, the family is very concerned about the way it was handled, the circumstances that this person, may have been brought into proximity to the victim."

Beyond the tragic timeline, Castle voiced concerns about the broader military culture. She recalled her daughter telling her that "sexist and racist comments were a reality for her. She talked to me about how some of the men talked, and I told her: 'That's sexual harassment, you should report it,' but she would tell me: 'No, I just have to talk back to them. Because if I start making reports, I'm only going to cause problems.'"

"She didn't want to cause problems, and through that she developed a strong attitude. If someone said something inappropriate, she would say something inappropriate back. She began to develop thick skin from how the men would talk."

The severity of the case prompted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to confirm that another sailor is now in pre‑trial confinement facing charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Navy has offered few details publicly. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) urged greater transparency, likening the Navy's failures to those in the Vanessa Guillén case and praising Castle for bringing attention to systemic issues.

Castle has maintained that all she wants is justice for her daughter, stating, "To me, justice would mean accountability. Because yes, this happened — but there were many conditions that allowed it to happen. And it probably could have been avoided if it had been handled differently. There has to be responsibility for failing to protect her, and so many others like her... To me, justice would be for Congress — which is responsible for shaping our armed forces and maintaining our naval forces — to recognize and accept that responsibility, and take action to create change."

Originally published on Latin Times

Tags

Murder, Mother, Interview, Family, Virginia, Navy