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Man gets at least 65 years in Michigan soldier’s slaying

Posted at 10:18 AM, Sep 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-24 10:18:10-04

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the slaying of a U.S. Army sergeant from Michigan has been sentenced to at least 65 years in prison.

Jeremy Cuellar was sentenced Monday after earlier admitting to being a co-conspirator with Kemia Hassel in the New Year’s Eve 2018 death of her husband, 23-year-old Sgt. Tyrone Hassel III.

Cuellar apologized in court to Tyrone Hassel’s family, saying he was “a fool.”

Tyrone Hassel was fatally shot in an ambush while visiting family in southwestern Michigan. Kemia Hassel was earlier convicted of first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence.

Kemia Hassel and Cuellar reportedly were lovers and plotted the murder to collect Army death benefits and life insurance money. All three were soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia.