Two people have been charged in connection to last year’s stabbing death of U.S. Army Private First Class Katia Dueñas Aguilar, 23.
Per CNN, Sofia Rodas, 35, has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of Aguilar, the Clarksville Police Department said in a news release. In addition, Aguilar’s husband, 40-year-old Reynaldo Salinas Cruz, was charged with tampering with evidence. Both Rodas and Cruz had been held on unrelated federal charges before they were extradited to Clarksville on Friday and served their sealed indictments at the Montgomery County Jail, according to police.
Aguilar — a private first class who had been stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky — was found dead at her home in Clarksville, Tennessee, on May 18, 2024, according to the Clarksville Police Department. She was found with 68 stab wounds, mostly to the neck, according to an autopsy report obtained by Nashville ABC affiliate WKRN. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death a homicide due to sharp-force injuries to the neck.
Police said in a news release that the case remains an open and active investigation: “The successful progression of this case highlights the critical partnership between local law enforcement and military authorities in addressing severe crimes that impact service members and their families.”
Aguilar, of Mesquite, Texas, enlisted in the Army in 2018 before arriving at Fort Campbell, located on the Tennessee-Kentucky border, a year later. She was a member of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
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