Two active-duty soldiers charged after they murdered Army sergeant in "love triangle gone wrong"

Two active-duty soldiers charged after they murdered Army sergeant in "love triangle gone wrong"

Two active-duty soldiers were arrested for killing an Army sergeant in what prosecutors described as a "love triangle gone wrong," as per multiple reports.

According to reports, Kemia Hassel, 22, and Jeremy Cuellar, 24, conspired to kill the former's husband Tyrone Hassel III, 23, in a bid to collect death benefits from the Army. Cuellar allegedly shot dead Hassel III outside his father's home in St. Joseph Township, Michigan, where he had been spending his holidays with relatives and the one-year-old child he shared with Kemia.

The two were subsequently charged with first-degree murder, the Herald-Palladium reported.

Kemia Hassel, 22. (Berrien County Jail)
Kemia Hassel, 22. (Berrien County Jail)

All three served in the Army together at Fort Stewart in Georgia.

Hassel and Cuellar were allegedly involved in an extramarital affair and possibly conspired to kill Hassel III to collect the Army's death benefit in a bid to keep their affair going, Berrien County Prosecutor Michael Sepic said in a news release Monday. 

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When a service member dies while on active duty, military officials provide a $100,000 death gratuity to the next-of-kin. According to the Army Times, a soldier's death can secure up to $400,000 in life insurance.

A Fort Stewart spokeswoman confirmed to the newspaper that all three were assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Sgt. Hassel was returning to his family's home in Fairplain with some food he brought for Kemia from a family gathering in Benton Harbor on December 31, Sepic said. As he returned to his pickup truck after dropping off the food, he was ambushed by a suspect who shot and killed him, the New York Post reported.

Jeremy Cuellar, 24. (Liberty County Jail)
Jeremy Cuellar, 24. (Liberty County Jail)

Cuellar traveled from Fort Stewart to Chicago several days prior to the killing and awaited directions from Hassel to ambush her husband, Sepic said.

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After being arraigned on Monday, Kemia Hassel, of Allenhurst, Georgia was remanded in custody at the Berrien County Jail. The judge scheduled her next court appearance on January 23 after setting bond at $2.5 million with a mandatory GPS tracking device to prevent risk of flight.

According to the Herald Palladium, Cuellar, who hails from Hinesville, Georgia, waived extradition during a court appearance in Georgia on Tuesday. Within the next 30 days, he's set to return to Michigan and face charges of first-degree premeditated murder and felony possession of a firearm, the newspaper stated.

On New Year's eve, Kemia Hassel, 22, and Jeremy Cuellar, 24, ambushed Tyrone Hassel III, 23 (pictured) outside his father's home in St. Joseph Township, Michigan. (GoFundMe)
On New Year's eve, Kemia Hassel, 22, and Jeremy Cuellar, 24, ambushed Tyrone Hassel III, 23 (pictured) outside his father's home in St. Joseph Township, Michigan. (GoFundMe)

That said, the father of the deceased soldier was shocked to learn that his own daughter-in-law was responsible for killing his son.

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In a conversation with WSBT, Tyrone Hassel Jr. said, “You got to understand, man, this is a person that slept in my home. I spent two weeks with this person, after she killed my son.”

According to him, his daughter-in-law had deceived his entire family after they thought of her as a "completely different person."

“I grieved for her more than I grieved for myself,” he continued. “Because I saw a woman that lost her husband. I look at my grandson and I saw a kid that lost his father.”

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 Two active-duty soldiers charged murdered Army sergeant apparent love triangle gone wrong