NORFOLK, Va. — It was possibly the biggest story of 2025 for many in the Hampton Roads region. The disappearance of Norfolk-based sailor Angelina Resendiz, who was tragically found dead behind a school — miles from Naval Station Norfolk — and the push from her mother for greater accountability after another sailor was charged with her murder.
Resendiz was reported missing days after she was last seen in her barracks in late May 2025. They were frantic days for her mother, Esmeralda Castle, who reported at first getting very little information from the Navy and NCIS investigators.
It wasn't another week until Resendiz's body was found in a wooded area behind Richard Bowling Elementary School. The next day, the Navy confirmed her identity — and stated that another sailor was being held in connection with her death.
That sailor, Jermiah Copeland, who was a culinary specialist with Resendiz assigned to the USS James E. Williams, was officially charged in her murder.
Norfolk
TIMELINE: Everything we know about the death of Angelina Resendiz
In court documents from the Navy, Copeland's history of alleged violent, sexual abuse of other fellow sailors was heavily outlined. There had been several instances in Copeland's record of alleged sexual assault, including an alleged case where he sexually assaulted a sailor who was drunk and incapacitated.
After litigating more than a dozen points at a December hearing at Naval Station Norfolk, the court announced the matter will head to trial in June 2026.
WTKR News 3 Norfolk reporter Jay Greene has followed this case closely, and in this episode of the True Crime 757 podcast, breaks down everything we've learned so far and what we can expect to see when Copeland's trial commences.
Watch the full episode at the player above or download on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Just search True Crime 757.
True Crime 757 is sponsored by Korslund Law
