Body of Texas veteran suspected of killing as many as six women to be exhumed from his military grave
Suspected serial killer’s body to be exhumed from ‘sacred resting place’
- The body of Fernando Cota, a Texas war veteran convicted of rape and suspected of multiple murders, is set to be exhumed from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
- Cota, who took his own life in 1984, was buried at the San Antonio cemetery despite his criminal history. Cota was convicted of rape in 1975 and was the prime suspect in the murders of six women in San Jose, California, with evidence of his crimes found after his suicide.
- The exhumation follows a campaign by the son of one of his victims, leading to a new bill introduced by Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
- The bill was signed into law last month as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, directing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter his remains.
- "Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a sacred resting place for more than 170,000 respected veterans and their loved ones, and it would be a slap in the face to each one of them to allow Fernando Cota, a convicted rapist and alleged serial murderer, to remain buried amongst such heroes," Cornyn said in a statement. An exhumation date has not yet been set.