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panamajames
Joined 2012
Posts: 5096

9 years ago

Murder in Los Santos Province - Las Tablas are

9 years ago

U.S. soldier suspected of murder in Panama likely to face military justice
PANAMA CITY Sun Jun 29, 2014 10:23pm EDT
(Reuters) - A U.S. soldier suspected of murdering a Panamanian woman will "most likely" face charges in a military court in the United States, a U.S. military spokesman said on Sunday June 29th 2014.
Master Sergeant Omar Velez is being held in pretrial confinement at the U.S. Army's Fort Bragg in North Carolina, but formal charges have not been filed against him, said Colonel William Bigelow, a spokesman for U.S. Southern Command.
Velez was conducting trainings in Panama as part of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization, a unit generally associated with foreign sales of military equipment, Bigelow said by telephone.
He said Velez will probably face charges in U.S. military courts. He emphasized that a final decision has not been made.
Panama's attorney general's office has not commented on the case.
Panamanian daily newspaper Critica has reported that Velez was apprehended as he was attempting to bury the body of the 26-year-old victim, with whom he was believed to have a romantic relationship.
The U.S. Southern Command cannot confirm those details, spokeswoman Kimberly Hanson said.
The U.S. Army "will fully investigate this tragedy and take any and all appropriate action," according to a statement issued late last week.

U.S. Army Sergeant Held in Murder of Panamanian Woman
by pa.di. • July 1, 2014
A U.S. soldier has been detained on suspicion of killing a Panamanian woman.
On June 23, authorities discovered the badly beaten body of 26-year-old Vanessa Rodriguez on a farm in the town of Guararé in Panama’s central Los Santos province.
According to early local media reports, Master Sergeant Omar Velez of the U.S. Army was found standing near the body with a shovel in hand and a bag of calcium oxide in an alleged crime of passion.
Velez was in Panama training local law enforcement units as part of the U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization, which provides security assistance to foreign military personnel and is associated with the sale of military equipment.
The body was found on a farm near a river embankment close to where a firearms training session was being held, according to Panamanian officials.
Colonel William Bigelow, a spokesman for U.S. Southern Command, however, says that formal charges have not yet been filed against the 35-year-old Puerto Rican army sergeant, who is being held in pretrial confinement at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Because the suspect has diplomatic immunity, he was handed over to U.S. officials and flown to the United States.

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