An active-duty airman at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of a woman on the base last August.
Quinterius Chappelle, 24, was arrested and charged Saturday in the death of Sahela Sangrait, 21, of Box Elder, South Dakota.
Ms. Sangrait went missing last Aug. 10. Her body was found in Hill City, South Dakota, on March 4. The body’s identity was confirmed on Wednesday, according to a release from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, with no cause of death specified.
Authorities believe that Ms. Sangrait was killed on the Air Force base, and as such the charges are federal and will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.
Mr. Chappelle is an aircraft inspection journeyman working with the 28th Maintenance Squadron that services the 28th Bomber Wing at Ellsworth.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of Sahela. We hold Airmen accountable for their actions, and if service members are found in violation of military or civilian law, they will be punished,” Col. Derek Oakley, 28th Bomb Wing commander, said according to The Associated Press.
Mr. Chappelle is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a release. He pleaded not guilty on Monday.
If Mr. Chappelle is convicted, the maximum sentence he could face is life imprisonment.
