Sailor pleads guilty to murdering Angelina Resendiz

NORFOLK, Va. - Petty Officer Jermiah Copeland admitted Monday to murdering fellow sailor Angelina Resendiz in his barracks room last May.

Copeland, 21, pleaded guilty to killing Resendiz, as well as obstruction of justice, aggravated assault, making a false official statement and indecent recording. His plea agreement does not include counts related to sexual and domestic violence with which he was charged in September.

Judge Capt. Frank Hutchison accepted Copeland's plea agreement and will sentence him to at least 40 years and 2 months in federal prison.

Copeland cried as Resendiz's mother, Esmeralda Castle, read her victim impact statement to the courtroom.

"No sentence handed down today can bring Angie back," Castle said. "But what this court can do is recognize that Angie mattered."

During the providence inquiry - the portion of a military plea agreement proceeding in which the accused admits facts supporting their guilt - Copeland recounted the last moments of Resendiz's life for the first time in open court.

Copeland said on the evening of May 28, 2025, Resendiz went to his barracks room to hang out. Copeland said they were drinking and kissing when a "bright flash" appeared from his cell phone.

The flash upset Resendiz, who started yelling at Copeland. He said he put his hand over her mouth to quiet her. He testified he did not want her waking up his roommates or suitemates.

Copeland said he was not able to keep her quiet and at some point, she tripped and fell. That's when he got on top of her and grabbed her neck with both hands. He strangled her until she stopped moving.

He testified he knew she was dead.

Copeland also described lying to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigator who days later, asked about Resendiz. He told Special Agent Jessica Gokey he dropped Resendiz off at her room on the morning of May 29.

But Copeland had hidden her body in a black suitcase, which he stashed in his closet until June 2, when he moved it to a wooded area off Cary Avenue behind Richard Bowling Elementary School in Broad Creek.

He testified he knew NCIS was looking for Resendiz, so he took steps to avoid facing criminal charges. In addition to pleading guilty to the unpremediated murder of Resendiz, Copeland took responsibility for an aggravated assault on a sailor on the USS Harry S. Truman on July 24, 2024. According to Copeland, he strangled the woman until she stopped breathing.

He also admitted to the nonconsensual filming of another sailor at a bar during the Truman's port call in Norway in November 2024.

He said he had sex with the woman in the bathroom and, without her knowledge, recorded her from behind. She became aware the next day when others told her Copeland had shown them the recording. He said the sailor, named in court documents as CSSN S.S., confronted him the next day. He testified he smashed his phone and threw it in the streets of Oslo to hide the evidence.

In addition to at least four decades of confinement, Copeland also will receive a dishonorable discharge and a reduction in rank to Seaman Apprentice and forfeit all pay and allowances. He may also be required to register as a sex offender.

In court, Resendiz's mother reiterated concerns about how her daughter's case was handled from the start. Esmeralda Castle said she had little communication with NCIS and received few answers about her daughter's disappearance. She recalled the day after her daughter disappeared and the conversation she had with ship leadership.

"(The quarterdeck) said they found her, and (they said) the missing person's report was ‘more exaggerated than necessary.'"

At Copeland's Article 32 hearing, the government conceded that leadership was mistaken when it told Castle that Resendiz had been seen alive after May 29. When Resendiz didn't show up for work the next day, Castle said, she continued searching for answers.

"I was working from nothing," Castle said.

On the Wednesday after Resendiz was last heard from, Castle flew to Virginia. She visited her daughter's barracks room and saw items she had recently purchased from Target - dumbbells and a yoga mat - laid out. Castle said it was clear Resendiz had planned to return.

"I realized then, she's not coming back," Castle said.

She said she believes leadership had failed her daughter, and that Resendiz was betrayed by the people she trusted.

Castle said she will continue to advocate for missing service members. She also believes her daughter will be a catalyst for change for those who experience military sexual trauma.

"There's women that are now starting to speak up, women, men, who were quiet for 20 years and now they see what's happening and they're telling their families what happened," said Castle. "They've been silenced for so long. So that's something that Angie has done."

Several of Resendiz's friends and family testified about the kind, , passionate, bubbly woman they knew.

Danny Rich described Resendiz as a "pocketful of sunshine." He called her "so lovable," and said she was everyone's friend. When she opened up, he said, her true self shined through.

"I miss her spark ups," Rich told the court.

Resendiz called Rich shortly before she was killed, but by the time Rich got to the base minutes later, she was no longer answering her phone. He spent hours driving around looking for her at their go-to spots.

Rich testified Monday that he feels like he failed Resendiz for not getting to her more quickly. He was recently medically retired from the Navy due to symptoms and conditions he has battled following Resendiz's murder.

Petty Officer Michael Gillespie went with Rich to search for Resendiz on the morning of May 29. In court Monday, he recalled spending weekend days watching movies with Resendiz.

"Nobody could care as much as [Resendiz] could," Gillespie said.

Gillespie spent 2½ days looking for Resendiz. He said that a year later, her loss is still "hard to accept."

He described the "huge mental toll" Resendiz's death has taken on him. He said it has "100 percent" impacted his career prospects - he does not plan to reenlist.

Her supervisor in the galley, Petty Officer Joshua Bryant, recalled her as someone who took initiative and "made my job easy."

She hit the ground running out of A school, Bryant told the court. She would bring TikTok videos with ideas for recipes to him and confide in him about her career aspirations.

When Resendiz disappeared, he tried getting in touch with her, but she did not respond.

When she was found, Bryant said, there were a lot of unanswered questions from their chain of command.

He said Resendiz's death has also impacted his career trajectory - he's planning to stay in the Navy and be the kind of leader he wishes Resendiz and the rest of his team had had following her disappearance and death.

"Things could have been handled differently," Bryant said. "And should have."

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