The wife of a U.S. Army sergeant from Michigan who was convicted of plotting to kill her husband has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Twenty-two-year-old Kemia Hassel learned her punishment Thursday, Aug. 29. A Berrien County jury found her guilty of murder last month in the death of Sgt. Tyrone Hassel III. The 23-year-old was fatally shot in an ambush on New Year’s Eve while visiting family in St. Joseph Township.
Kemia Hassel chose not to speak at the sentencing hearing.
The wife of a U.S. Army sergeant from Michigan who was convicted of plotting to kill her husband has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. https://t.co/hVOVxRYWme
— FOX 17 (@FOX17) August 30, 2019
Prosecutors argued at trial that she planned her husband’s death so she could continue a romantic relationship with 24-year-old Jeremy Cuellar. All three were soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
Cuellar has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and faces a minimum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Shooting on New Year’s Eve
When Hassel was shot just after 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, he had left a gathering to take a plate of food to his wife, Hassel’s father, Tyrone Hassel Jr., told WWMT.
“I told him to hurry up back. because I didn’t want him out there at midnight,” said Hassel Jr.
But shortly after leaving the house, he was shot.
“He came back out the house and somebody shot him,” said Hassel Jr. “I don’t know if somebody followed him.”
Hassel’s added that his son initially planned to leave Michigan on Jan. 2 “but his wife’s birthday is on January 3rd, so they decided they would stay for a couple of extra days.”
“I don’t know nobody who hate my son, he had no enemies,” he added.
JUST IN: Wife among 2 arrested for SW MI soldier’s murder. @WOODTV https://t.co/a7hYvEOGzc
— Lynsey Mukomel (@lynseymukomel) January 12, 2019
Hassel
According to the slain soldier’s obituary, he enlisted in the United States Army in 2015 after being part of the ROTC in high school and studying Mechanical Engineering at Grand Valley State University.
The obituary said that Hassel “met and fell in love with Specialist Kemia Martin” while they were both serving the country. They were married in May 2017 and had one child together. The family resided in Hinesville, Georgia.
“Tyrone was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, and soldier,” the obituary stated.
“He had a jovial personality and loved having a good time, whether he was playing pool, basketball, baseball or taking care of his dogs. Tyrone enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, he had a true zeal for life.”
The Associated Press and NTD reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this article.
