FORT CAVAZOS, Texas – A soldier was sentenced by a military judge to 35 years of confinement after finding him guilty of raping a child during his court-martial Feb. 14 at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center, Fort Cavazos.
Army Spc. Carlos I. Morales-Denegri, 25, a cannon crewmember with the 1st Cavalry Division, also received a dishonorable discharge, was reduced in rank to E-1, and must forfeit all pay and allowances.
The victim’s mother, who at the time was Morales-Denegri’s girlfriend, discovered the crime.
Morales-Denegri was at home alone with the victim at his residence in Nolanville, Texas, on Jan. 5, 2024. While she was at work, the mother used her cell phone to review a bedroom camera feed and observed the crime.
She notified the Nolanville Police Department and provided them video of the offence. At that time the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division was notified and collaborated on the investigation.
Morales-Denegri was arrested by Nolanville Police Jan. 5, 2024, and remained in confinement at the Bell County Justice Center until his trial at Fort Cavazos.
He is also pending civilian charges for similar offenses.
Both the child victim and her mother testified during the trial in spite of numerous logistical and language barriers in this case.
“The child victim and her mother suffered incomprehensible harm and showed great courage over many months to finally testify in this case,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Yoder, lead prosecutor, Fort Cavazos Field Office, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
“The mission of the Office of Special Trial Counsel remains to seek justice for uniquely vulnerable victims like the one in this case. In doing so, the Fort Cavazos Field Office will continue to leverage relationships with local law enforcement, prosecutors, and the wider Fort Cavazos community to ensure timely and appropriate disposition of these offenses.”
“The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is committed to creating safe environments and ensure accountability for those who commit serious criminal acts,” said Special Agent in Charge Maria E. Thomas, Army CID Central Texas Field Office. “We’ll continue to work alongside our OSTC partners to foster trust and confidence in the judicial process while maintaining the Army’s operational readiness.”
Morales-Denegri will serve his prison sentence at the Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Upon release from prison he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
The investigation was conducted by the Army CID Central Texas Field Office and the Nolanville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Lt. Col. Paul Silver, Fort Cavazos Field Office, Fifth Circuit, Army OSTC, and Cpt. Eric Fenton, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, First Cavalry Division, Fort Cavazos, Texas.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit https://www.army.mil/ostc.
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2025 16:02 |
| Story ID: | 491275 |
| Location: | FORT CAVAZOS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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