Overview

• The Article 32 hearing took place Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk to determine whether the case will be referred to a court-martial.
• Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Jeremiah Copeland, assigned to USS James E. Williams, faces premeditated murder and a range of related charges including sexual assault, aggravated assault, domestic violence, distribution of intimate images, obstruction of justice and making false statements.
• Prosecutors outlined a timeline using Apple Watch heart-rate data from Angelina Resendiz and GPS evidence from Copeland's phone, and they described blood found in a wheeled duffel bag, his closet and a stairwell, alleging he hid her body in his barracks before moving it to a wooded area.
• The government said Copeland is linked to assaults of four other women over seven months, including two sailors (one aboard USS Harry S. Truman and another during liberty in Oslo), a civilian in Norfolk and a domestic partner, with an expedited ship transfer noted in January.
• Copeland remains in pretrial confinement; the hearing official set a Sept. 23 deadline for the defense submission and requested a prosecutorial brief on premeditation within 24 hours, as Resendiz's mother attended and reiterated concerns about the Navy's handling of the case.