A Fort Hood soldier has been arrested and charged with murder over a homicide that took place last year.

On June 3, 2019, 32-year-old Chelsea Cheatham was found dead at Days Inn hotel which is located just minutes away from the Texas military installation.

While her death was ruled a homicide after the autopsy, Chelsea’s case grew cold for almost a year until a major breakthrough achieved through DNA testing.

After Texas Rangers informed the Killeen Police Department they could make use of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Program to move forward with the investigation, the investigators analyzed the DNA collected at the crime scene and managed to identify 20-year-old Spc. Cory Grafton as a potential suspect.

After questioning the young soldier, the authorities collected Grafton’s DNA and compared it with DNA found at the crime scene. Following a match, the 20-year-old was arrested and charged with murder.

In addition, the authorities confirmed that one of Grafton’s colleagues claimed that the soldier confessed to him that he had murdered Cheatham.

“With the assistance from the Texas Rangers, DNA from the scene was submitted and the results confirmed that Grafton matched the DNA located on Cheatham,” the KPD confirmed.

As Fort Hood officials added, they will continue “to cooperate with the Killeen Police Department and the Texas Rangers” to get to the bottom of the case.

According to jail records, the disgraced soldier is currently being held on $1 million bail while awaiting trial.

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