The United States military authorities charged an American soldier with "unpremeditated murder" after he allegedly killed a Panamanian woman, an army spokeswoman said, according to The Associated Press.
Master Sgt. Omar Velez is being held at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in connection with the murder of woman in her mid-20s whose body was found in Panama on June 23, the AP reported. He was charged in the military justice system Monday with unpremeditated murder, according to Army spokeswoman Kimberly Hanson.
Joyce Araujo, president of the Foundation for Gender Equity in Panama, told the AP Monday that she believes Velez' diplomatic immunity allowed him to evade proper investigation. Her group is among those in a coalition of women's rights groups that expressed disappointment on Friday in the handling of the case, and demanded that local leaders reassert sovereignty.
Velez, who has served in the military since 2000, held a leadership position as a senior non-commissioned officer, according to the AP. He was in Panama conducting training as part of a unit associated with the sale of military equipment when the killing occurred.
Local media report that Velez allegedly had been romantically involved with the woman and was discovered near her body with a shovel after an apparent crime of passion, the AP reported.
The body was found in central Panama on a farm near a river embankment, close to where a firearms training session was being held, according to Panamanian officials, according to the AP. The Army spokeswoman said Panamanian officials detained Velez the same day, then handed him over to U.S. authorities who took him back to North Carolina.
The U.S. Army has expressed its "deepest regret" over the woman's death, and pledged to fully investigate the killing, the AP reported. Women's rights groups are planning a vigil in Panama City on Thursday to demand that Panamanian authorities be allowed greater participation in the U.S. military's investigation.
