2 people charged with allegedly killing soldier who was found with nearly 70 stab wounds

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (TCN) -- Two people, including the victim's husband, have been indicted in connection with the stabbing death of a 23-year-old soldier who was found deceased inside a home in May 2024.

The Clarksville Police Department announced Saturday, Feb. 8, that a Montgomery County grand jury returned an indictment charging 35-year-old Sofia Rodas with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, and 40-year-old Reynaldo Salinas Cruz with tampering with evidence for allegedly killing Army Pfc. Katia Duenas-Aguilar. The Clarksville Police Department worked alongside the Army Criminal Investigation Division to present the charges.

Cruz and Rodas were already in federal custody on unrelated charges, but they were transferred to the Montgomery County Jail on Feb. 7.

The investigation into Duenas-Aguilar's death began May 18, 2024, when the Clarksville Police Department responded to an ambulance call on Tiny Town Road and found her dead. The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle reports Duenas-Aguilar sustained 68 stab wounds, mainly on her neck. The autopsy also reportedly determined she had a blood alcohol level of 0.161 and traces of the date rape drug GHB in her system.

Duenas-Aguilar completed combat training at Fort Eisenhower in Georgia, then reported to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 2019. She was a member of the 101st Airborne Division's Combat Aviation Brigade and was awarded several medals, including two Army Achievement Medals, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

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