Revealed: Fort Hood soldier Brandon Scott Rosecrans, 27, was shot dead as he slept in his Jeep after an argument over the sale of a gun as a second person is charged in connection with his murder
A second person has been charged in connection with the death of a 27-year-old soldier who was killed near the embattled Fort Hood base in Texas.
On May 18, the body of Army Pfc. Brandon S. Rosecrans was discovered in a ditch with several gunshot wounds and his 2016 Jeep Renegade was found three miles away 'completely engulfed in flames'.
On August 5, Brandon Michael Olivares, a 28-year-old resident of Killeen, was arrested and charged with murder in Rosecrans' death.
According to the affidavit Olivares and Rosecrans got into an argument over the sale price of a gun and Olivares allegedly shot Rosecrans at close range as he slept in his Jeep.
Last week Estrellita H. Falcon, 37, was also charged in Rosecrans' death, accused of helping Olivares, according to the Army Times.
Rosencrans' death was just one of a string of mysterious disappearances and deaths to take place at the base, which came under fire following the April disappearance of 20-year-old soldier Vanessa Guillen. She was brutally murdered, allegedly by another soldier at the base, and her remains were found June 30.
A second person has been charged in connection with the death of Army Pfc. Brandon S. Rosecrans, 27, who was killed near the embattled Fort Hood base in Texas in May
In early August Brandon Michael Olivares (left), a 28-year-old resident of Killeen, was arrested and charged with murder in Rosecrans' death. Last week Estrellita H. Falcon, 37, was also charged in Rosecrans’ death, accused of helping Olivares
Falcon is charged with the unauthorized use of a vehicle and hindering the apprehension and prosecution of Rosecrans’ killer, as per Bell County Jail records.
Olivares is now being held on $1million bail after being charged with murder. He was already in jail for a separate incident. Falcon is being held on $100,000 bail.
The Dallas County medical examiner determined Rosecrans' cause of death as 'homicidal violence'.
An autopsy revealed he sustained four gunshot wounds on the left side of his head and neck and 'dense stippling' was found at the wounds' entrances, leading experts to believe he was shot from very close range.
Rosecrans was stationed at the Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Texas
Officials found a bullet hole in the back passenger door of Rosecrans' Jeep and the front passenger seat was reclined almost all the way.
That car was later found on fire off-road in a wooded area near Fuller Lane in Harker Heights and Rosecrans' body was found three miles away.
A search of Rosecrans' and Olivares' cell phones showed he was in touch with Olivares the night of May 17 and the morning of May 18.
Both men’s phones 'pinged' in the same locations on the morning of the murder and the night prior.
A photo sent from Olivares' phone showed a hand holding a 9mm Ruger and the tattoos on the hand matched those of Olivares.
Rosecrans is just one of a string of disturbing deaths and disappearances at the base, including the murder of 20-year-old Vanessa Guillen. She disappeared in April and her remains were first found June 30
Guillen's remains were found days after search teams discovered the corpse of missing soldier Pvt. Gregory Wedel-Morales, 24, (above) on June 19
Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, (left) of Florida was found unresponsive on July 17 near Stillhouse Hollow Lake. The body of Spc. Francisco Gilberto Hernandezvargas, 24, (right) was found Sunday after he died in a boating accident at the same lake over the weekend
Olivares admitted on June 18 that the photo was him holding the firearm.
That photo was for a gun sale he 'middle manned' on May 17 for $300.
A search warrant of his home on June 4 found a burned Jeep key in a firepit in his backyard.
In police interviews Olivares repeatedly changed his story.
In one story he claimed he was with Estrellita Falcon and Rosecrans to purchase illegal narcotics, but they didn’t kill him. Police said no drugs were found in the car or with Rosecrans’ body.
Then he switched his story to say another person killed Rosecrans in front of him.
In two follow-up interviews Olivares said Falcon had nothing to do with the death, but said she was in the Jeep.
One person who spoke with Falcon after the alleged murder said she told him Olivares and Rosecrans got into a fight over the price of a gun and Olivares wanted more money than Rosecrans was willing to pay.
'Olivares was scared to shoot Rosecrans and Falcon had called Olivares a "punk" for being scared. Falcon told [the third-party] that Olivares waited to shoot the man, Rosecrans, until he fell asleep,' according to the affidvait.
Rosecrans, from Kimberling City, Missouri, served as quartermaster with the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat team, 1st Cavalry Division.
He had been with the unit since November 2018 and joined the army in May 2018.
Fort Hood has been shrouded in controversy following the disappearance of Vanessa Guillen and the killings of a high number of soldiers.
An independent command climate review will be conducted at Fort Hood in the coming weeks by five civilian experts to identify the 'root causes' associated with the 'rise of felonies, violent acts [and] to better understand why this is happening at this installation,' Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said during a visit to the base last week.
Olivares and Falcon, who have criminal records of theft, burglary of a home and forgery, are the second Killeen couple accused in the killings of Fort Hood soldiers in recent months.
Spc. Aaron David Robinson, along with his girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, were linked to the slaying of Spc. Vanessa Guillen.
Revealed: Fort Hood soldier Brandon Scott Rosecrans, 27, was shot dead as he slept in his Jeep after an argument over the sale of a gun as a second person is charged in connection with his murder
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August 18, 2020
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