NC - Fort Bragg Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez, 21, Cape Lookout, 23 May 2020 *severed head washed ashore*

[evilwise]

Note the following information:
•While Roman-Martinez’s death is ruled a homicide, according to Chancellor, it doesn’t necessarily mean it was a murder.

•“That means that the death could have been intentional or it could have been unintentional — for example in this case, someone running over someone with a boat while the person was in the water,” Chancellor said.


•Army CID and the FBI are strongly encouraging asking anyone with information to come forward.

•If you were operating a boat near Cape Lookout National Seashore on the night of May 22-23, 2020, and recall hitting something in the water, or if you have any other information, regardless of how trivial it might seem, please come forward, said Chancellor.

This is starting to make me think the Army CID feels like Enrique died in this manner ???

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2021/08/02/in-rare-move-army-cid-raises-reward-to-50k-to-solve-paratroopers-mysterious-death/

They're the military and it's about the only thing that could fit both the other soldiers ' version of events and the physical evidence but for $50k if I'd been on that water in my speedboat that night I'd probably be willing to whack it in the prow with a head-shaped sledge hammer.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“After exhausting hundreds of leads and thousands of hours of investigation, there are no more credible investigative leads remaining at this time, but the case itself is not 'closed,' it is in a cold case status,” Jeffrey Castro, an Army Criminal Investigation Division spokesman, said in an email this week. “As always, if new information pertinent to any of our investigations becomes available, CID can and often does reopen investigations if warranted.”
Decapitated Fort Bragg paratrooper case remains unsolved

 

[evilwise]

I hope it was an accident and that anyone even partially responsible loses a lot of sleep over it.

 

[mlhenn]

What happened to a Fort Bragg paratrooper? Congresswoman asks DOD to look at homicide case

A California congresswoman and the family of a decapitated Fort Bragg paratrooper are upset that the Army is considering his death a "cold case."

Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez, 21, of Chino, California, was reported missing May 23, 2020, at Cape Lookout National Seashore in Carteret County. His severed head washed ashore six days later.

Roman-Martinez's family lives in the congressional district of Rep. Norma Torres.

“I’m not satisfied that the Army CID has done everything in their power to solve this case,” Torres said.

Torres said she doesn’t want to hinder the investigation or any future investigations the Army has but said she does want the inspector general to evaluate it.

“If the Army does not have jurisdiction but may have capabilities of investigating a crime … it would probably be a good idea to work with a local agency,” she said.

But in the case of Roman-Martinez, she wants to know who made the call to give the Army jurisdiction of the crime scene, since it was miles off post.

She said she understands that a local agency might not have resources but thinks the FBI or another agency should have been contacted to investigate instead of the Army, which may have a conflict of interest "with seven military personnel that may or may not have had involvement,” Torres said.

 

[mlhenn]

Relatives of slain Bragg soldier Enrique Roman-Martinez disappointed with investigation

The family of a Fort Bragg paratrooper who was killed over Memorial Day weekend last year is disappointed with how the investigation into his death has progressed.

Relatives of specialist Enrique Roman-Martinez, who was 21 at the time of his death, told Univision that they are frustrated that no one has been brought to justice and they have hired a private investigator to try to find new evidence in the case.

 

[mlhenn]

MURDERED: Enrique Roman Martinez | Crime Junkie Podcast

 

[mlhenn]

Lawmaker urges new probe after Army closes investigation of Chino soldier's slaying

The U.S. Army has closed an investigation into the killing of a paratrooper from California whose head was found severed from his body, according to Rep. Norma Torres, who is asking the Pentagon’s inspector general to examine whether the military’s probe was flawed.

Torres wants a review of how the military communicated with the family and addressed language barriers; the Army’s treatment of any people of interest; requirements for soldiers to report a missing member or co-worker; the timeline of the investigation; and whether the pace of the probe was affected by any logistical or jurisdictional hurdles.

 

[cvaldez1975]

i agree this investigation was crap.

 

[mlhenn]

Charges filed against Fort Bragg soldier tied to 2020 decapitation case

UPDATE!

A Fort Bragg soldier who made a 911 call in the homicide case of another Fort Bragg soldier who was found decapitated in May 2020 is facing charges.

According to a Fort Bragg court docket, Spc. Alex Becerra faces charges of: conspiracy; three counts of disobeying a superior officer; failure to obey an order; two counts of making a false statement; and wrongful, use, possession or manufacturing of a controlled substance.

“The charges in this case are merely accusations and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Lt. Col. Brett Lea, a spokesman for the division, said.

Lea, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division, reiterated on Tuesday that the Army CID has offered a $50,000 reward “for information leading to a resolution in this investigation.”

 

[mlhenn]

Exclusive: Army Files Charges in Mysterious Fort Bragg Beheading Case

Spc. Alex Becerra, who according to multiple sources planned and organized the camping trip to the North Carolina seashore that preceded Roman-Martinez’s disappearance and death, has been charged with conspiracy; dereliction of duty; two counts of making false official statements; three counts of disobeying a superior officer; and wrongful possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance — but not murder or manslaughter.

“CID has told me they’re quite confident it’s murder by one or more of the seven other soldiers,” says Dustin Collier, an attorney representing the Roman-Martinez family pro bono. “They have told me, while they don’t have enough to charge for homicide, they have ample for lesser offenses that they could use to leverage people to flip.”


Now the Army has quietly docketed a raft of charges against Becerra. A spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division declined to provide the charge sheet — which would spell out the factual basis for bringing Becerra up on a court martial — but confirmed that the charges are related to the disappearance and death of Roman-Martinez.

Reached by phone, Becerra declined to comment. “I have plenty to say,” he tells Rolling Stone, “but I prefer not to say anything at this time.” He gave no indication of how he intends to plead at his arraignment, scheduled for Jan. 20.

 

[evilwise]

Wow, I'm surprised. Some of that reporting really made it seem like Rep. Torres was just trying to score points with Latinx voters but whatever the reason it seems like she got the wheels turning.

To the apparent displeasure of Lt. Col. Lea, this seems a lot more like proper criminal investigation. Would be nice if the DoD could look into cases on tribal land too.

 

[mlhenn]

Exclusive: Army Files Charges in Mysterious Fort Bragg Beheading Case

To Note:
Collier, the family’s lawyer, says that shortly after calling 911, the group of soldiers alerted their unit, the 37th Brigade Engineer Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division, but that their battalion commander, Lt. Col. S.A., waited until Monday morning to inform the CID, which delayed until the following Friday to secure Roman-Martinez’s barracks as a crime scene. “By that time,” Collier says. “He had been missing for almost a full week.”

According to Collier, who’s had multiple briefings with the CID task force investigating the case, one of the seven campers entered Roman-Martinez’s room before it was locked down. Griselda says that her brother, a sensitive young man who was into Buddhism and crystals, kept a daily journal. It has not been found.

…

In November 2021, CID announced that “after exhausting hundreds of leads and thousands of hours of investigation,” the file had been moved to “cold case status.”

It’s unclear whether the charges against Becerra signal a new development in the case, or whether military prosecutors are simply charging him for being untruthful with investigators.

 

[CluelessWonder]

I want justice. These are the people who are supposed to have a brother's six. Furthermore, they are wearing this country's flag on their uniforms. This situation has had me angry for a long time. When my students talk about joining the military, I shudder with fear. There are some brave, honorable soldiers defending our freedom. But look at the stuff that soldiers are doing these days. I've heard stories of drug dealing on base. I think some of those were shared right here. Is anybody responsible for making sure that the soldiers aren't trafficking narcotics or killing other soldiers? I mean, it's a military base; it's not south Chicago.

 

[YaYa_521]

3 soldiers charged in Fort Bragg cold case, death still ‘unsolved’
Jan 14, 09:24 AM
SBBM

Following a lengthy investigation, three Fort Bragg paratroopers will face criminal charges over a May 2020 lockdown-defying, drug-fueled Outer Banks camping trip that ended in the beheading of Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez, according to online court records and charge sheets obtained by Army Times. [snip] “These charges are unrelated to the cause of...Roman-Martinez’s death, which remains unsolved,” [snip] ...three paratroopers will face a general court-martial.

• Spc. Alex Becerra - charges of conspiracy, violating a lawful order, three specifications of false official statements, three specifications of disobeying a commissioned officer and drug use. He was the soldier who made the 911 call reporting Roman-Martinez missing.
• Pfc. Samad Landrum - using LSD; violating Fort Bragg’s COVID-19 travel radius “without an approved leave or pass”; conspiring with five unnamed people to make a false official statement
• Pvt. Annamarie Cochell - using LSD; violating Fort Bragg’s COVID-19 travel radius “without an approved leave or pass”; conspiring with five unnamed people to make a false official statement; violated two no-contact orders (barring investigative subjects from communicating with each other)

#more at link

 

[evilwise]

Jeez, camping out on the sandbar on LSD huh? I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[CP244]

This is almost unbelievable. Decapitated?

 

[mlhenn]

3 soldiers charged in Fort Bragg cold case, death still ‘unsolved’

Roman-Martinez and seven other soldiers broke Fort Bragg’s COVID-19 restrictions to stay overnight on South Core Banks, a barrier island along Cape Lookout National Seashore. He disappeared overnight in the pouring rain on May 22, 2020, and the other campers in his group called 911 the following evening to report him missing after purportedly searching for him.

His severed head washed up on a nearby island on May 29, a week after he disappeared.

….

Prosecutors also charged the two paratroopers with conspiring with five unnamed people to make a false official statement on May 23, the day they searched for Roman-Martinez.

According to the charge sheet, an unnamed co-conspirator told an official that at 3:00 a.m. on an unknown date, they and two other people “left for Davis N.C. to board a ferry.” Investigators say that’s a lie, accusing the soldiers of colluding to conceal the presence of an unknown fourth person on the trip to the ferry.

…

Landrum also reportedly made two false statements to investigators on May 24, according to his charge sheet.

He allegedly lied to an investigator about drug use on the trip and intentionally concealed the presence of a seventh person at their campsite on the morning of May 23.

“[Person 1] was already looking for him. [Person 2] was still sleeping. [Person 3] was next to [person 4] watching him fish. [Person 5] was casting his fishing rod,” Landrum said “with intent to decieve...[by omitting] the presence of [Person 6],” the charge sheet read.

 

[mlhenn]

A soldier was beheaded at Fort Bragg. Over a year later, the Army still doesn't know why

Jan 20, 2022
Three soldiers have been charged in connection with the mysterious death of an Army specialist and are facing upcoming court-martial proceedings — but officials are no closer to having an answer for what actually happened in May 2020, when a soldier disappeared and was later found beheaded.

The death of Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez, a human resources specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division, has stumped officials and remains a mystifying case with few answers. And while officials have spent more than a year investigating, last November they declared it a cold case without enough evidence to go off of.

While those soldiers are not being charged for his death, they are facing lesser charges for their actions during and after Roman-Martinez’s disappearance, which investigators reportedly hope to use to gain more information about what happened.

 

[evilwise]

Wow, on top of that "unknown seventh person" language the "later found beheaded" phrasing gives me the creeps and I don't usually get those. Could they have not only been trying to cover one another like soldiers but also been scared of someone? Might Becerra's remarks to Rolling Stone put his life in danger? It seems like the DoD put the screws to him first since he was I guess like the CO of the camping trip.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Following a lengthy investigation, three Fort Bragg paratroopers will face criminal charges over a May 2020 lockdown-defying, drug-fueled Outer Banks camping trip that ended in the beheading of Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez, according to online court records and charge sheets obtained by Army Times.

Rolling Stone first reported one soldier’s charges, but Army Times has first obtained charge sheets identifying the other two.
3 soldiers charged in Fort Bragg cold case, death still ‘unsolved’