A U.S. Army soldier has been charged with murder in connection with the death of another soldier last month at Fort Irwin in California.
Spc. George Cornejo, 26, was charged on November 20 with the killing of Spc. Andrew P. Smith, a fellow soldier from his unit.
Cornejo, a native of Fontana in San Bernardino County, serves as a construction equipment repairer in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
The 11th ACR, also known as the “Blackhorse Regiment,” is the opposing force (OPFOR) for the Army, Marine, and foreign military forces that train at Fort Irwin’s National Training Center.
According to the Army, which provided information to USA Today, 20-year-old Specialist Smith, of Rye, New York, was found injured at his Fort Irwin home by military police.
But he died after being transported to a local hospital.
The day after, on Oct 29th, Cornejo was taken into custody and ordered into pretrial confinement.
He was eventually transferred to the Naval Consolidated Brig in Miramar, California to await a preliminary hearing.
The Army did not specify how Smith died or how Cornejo was allegedly involved in his death.
Smith’s death was originally reported on October 31st with very few details.
“Spc. Smith was loved by many and highly regarded amongst the team,” said Kevin Black, Commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in a released statement at the time. “As we mourn the loss of our teammate, our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow troopers.”
According to his obituary, his wife was pregnant with his first-born son at the time of his death.
“He was proud to be a husband, and even more so excited to become a father,” the obituary states. “He was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his son, Luca in January.”
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