Court documents revealed a Fort Hood soldier who was charged with the murder of a Texas woman told his sergeant that he strangled her to death during a hearing on Tuesday.
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The soldier identified as Spc. Cory Latrell Grafton,20, was arrested on Nov. 2 after investigators matched his DNA after lab results revealed he was involved in the death of 32-year-old Chelsea Cheatham. Grafton strangled the mother of two at a Days Inn motel in Kileen on June 3, 2019, and he was questioned by police last month after he was listed as a possible suspect based on phone records. His DNA was collected during the interview which was used to link his involvement in the murder.
A day after the interview, Grafton spoke with his sergeant and denied the allegations, and shortly later that night, he overdosed on pain relievers and alcohol. While receiving treatment at the hospital, Grafton spoke to his sergeant for the second time and revealed that he murdered Cheatham.
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The confession reads, “He was hanging out with her and that she said some stupid sh*t to him and that he said some stupid shit back to her and that at that point in time his hands were around her throat.” Prior to his arrest, Cheatham’s family did not know about the circumstances surrounding her death and thought her death would turn into a cold case.
It was revealed by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy back in August that Fort Hood has the highest number of felonies among soldiers within the past four years.
“The numbers are high here. They are the highest in most cases for sexual assault, harassment, murders, for our entire formation in the U.S. Army. We are sitting down with a group of investigators to understand the root causes associated with the violence, felonies, violent acts, but better understand why this is happening at this installation.”
SOURCE: Stars and Stripes