CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The sailor facing charges in connection with the death of Seaman Angelina Resendiz will not be released on bond, an attorney for Resendiz's mother told WTKR News 3 following a hearing Monday.
U.S. Navy investigators have not yet released the sailor's name, what they're charged with, or their connection to Resendiz. They did share that the sailor is assigned to the Norfolk-based USS James E. Williams — the same ship Resendiz, a culinary specialist, was assigned to.
Watch previous coverage: Mother of Navy Sailor Angelina Resendiz believes she was murdered
Resendiz was last seen alive on May 29 at her barracks at Naval Station Norfolk. Five days later, on June 3, state police issued a Critically Missing Adult Alert for her. Her body was found nearly two weeks later in a wooded area near Richard Bowling Elementary School.
Shortly after Resendiz's body was identified last week, a spokesperson for her mother, Esmerelda Castle, told WTKR News 3 that she believes her daughter was murdered.
A family attorney says Castle spoke at Monday's hearing at Naval Consolidated Brig Chesapeake, pleading for the judge not to let the sailor charged out on bond. They sent us the following statement, which Castle read in court:
Your Honor,
My name is Esmeralda Castle, and I am the mother of Angelina Petra Resendiz.
I speak to you today as the voice of my daughter—because she no longer has one. Angie was more than a service member. She was a light in this world. She was brave, kind, devoted to her shipmates and her country, and full of promise.
But instead of building her future, I am standing in a courtroom, asking for justice on her behalf.
The person responsible for this horrific loss made deliberate choices that ended Angie’s life. Their actions were not a mistake—they were a betrayal of trust, of duty, and of basic human decency.
To even consider releasing them would add another injustice to an already unbearable tragedy. Offering any form of leniency would not only dishonor Angie’s memory—it would be a threat to public safety and a deep injustice to victims of violent crime.
It would send the message that her life didn’t matter. But it did. It still does.
Angie deserves justice. Our family deserves peace. And our community deserves protection. I am asking this Court to keep this individual confined, because of the severity of what was done—not just to Angie, but to all of us who loved her.
We cannot change the past. But we can choose to prevent further harm. Please, do not let this preventable tragedy be repeated. Let justice stand.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Castle also released a statement shortly after Resendiz's remains were identified. In the statement, Castle takes issue with how she was informed of her daughter's disappearance. She says she learned that her daughter was missing through Angelina's staff and media coverage, rather than official channels.
Military
Full statement from mother of Angelina Resendiz after officials ID remains
The government now has 120 days to give the sailor an arraignment, where their charges will be formally read in front of a judge.
