Congresswoman Torres Raises Concerns Over Adequate Military Investigations Across DoD Branches
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) – a member of the House Appropriations Committee – sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Inspector General Robert P. Storch to request the Inspector General review the Defense Department’s Military Criminal Investigative Organizations (MCIOs) and their efforts to deliver justice for victims like Army Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez. The Congresswoman’s constituent, Army Spc. Enrique Roman-Martinez, was murdered over three years ago, and his case remains unsolved.
“Mr. Roman Martinez was stationed in Fort Bragg and was brutally murdered in May 2020. His family never received justice and his case was declared a cold case. At that time, the Army did not have a Cold Case Unit to use cutting-edge technological breakthroughs to solve cold cases, unlike other services such as the Navy. I requested that the Army develop a cold case unit to provide justice to the Roman Martinez family and other Army servicemembers. I am glad that the Army did so,” writes Congresswoman Torres.
Previously, Congresswoman Torres introduced the Enrique Roman-Martinez Military Cold Case Justice Act – which was included in the FY2023 government funding bill – to reform how the military handles cold cases and deliver justice for military families. The Congresswoman continues to use her seat on the Appropriations Committee to improve transparency and secure funding for MCIOs.
“However, I remain concerned that best practices are not shared across the military criminal investigative divisions and that which branch you serve plays an inordinate role in the quality of justice you receive as the victim of a crime. I request you do everything in your power to ensure justice for the servicemembers and their families who are victims of serious crimes and review the military criminal investigative divisions across the services to ensure the highest standards are met regardless of service, and to help improve how the United States military pursues justice on behalf of the men and women who serve,” Congresswoman Torres concludes.
The full text of Congresswoman Torres’ letter to Inspector General Storch can be found HERE.