Authorities have formally charged two individuals in direct connection with the grisly murder of Pfc. Katia Dueñas Aguilar, 23, a 101st Airborne Division soldier whose body was discovered in her home near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in May with 68 stab wounds. Among the accused: the victim's own husband.
Sophia Rodas, 35, faces charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, while Reynaldo Salinas-Cruz, 40, who was married to Dueñas Aguilar in what federal authorities have described as a sham marriage, has been charged with tampering with evidence in the case, according to court records.
Both Rodas and Salinas-Cruz were already in federal custody on marriage fraud charges when the murder case unfolded.
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Salinas-Cruz, a man who owned and operated a landscaping business, pleaded guilty to entering into a fraudulent marriage arrangement with Dueñas Aguilar as part of a scheme to obtain U.S. citizenship, prosecutors said in court documents. In a written letter addressed to the court, his attorney openly conceded the marriage was "a mutually beneficial agreement" but also claimed that Salinas-Cruz had developed genuine affection for both Dueñas Aguilar and her young son.
Despite those feelings, the attorney acknowledged after a guilty plea that Salinas-Cruz had knowingly committed a crime by orchestrating the sham marriage.
"He recognizes that he committed a crime by entering into a sham marriage for the purpose of obtaining lawful immigration status," Salinas-Cruz's attorney wrote.
Rodas had recently received a $100,000 life insurance payout following the death of her husband, according to prosecutors, who alleged the pair were planning to flee the country.
Dueñas Aguilar, a native of Mesquite, Texas, enlisted in the Army in 2018 as an information technology specialist and was assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, the following year.
The autopsy also concluded that she had gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, or GHB, in her system and a blood alcohol content of 0.161. GHB is commonly used as a street drug, can cause memory loss and drowsiness, and has been used in sexual assaults, giving it a reputation as a "date rape" drug. Dueñas Aguilar was buried with military honors near Dallas.
In May, Dueñas Aguilar's family and a Hispanic advocacy group offered a $55,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for her murder.
During her service, Dueñas Aguilar earned two Army Achievement Medals, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.
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