The Army at Fort Drum, New York, has charged Specialist Riley Birbilas with the suspected premeditated murder of his roommate, Specialist Jacob Ashton.
Both men were in the same company stationed with the 2nd Battalion,10th Mountain Division, at Fort Drum following a tour of Iraq.
According to Ashton’s relatives, the pair had been roommates since April, and they were unaware of any bad blood between the two soldiers.
On August 5, the remains of 21-year-old Ashton were discovered in a car in a parking lot on the expansive base near Watertown, NY.
The Army has not released any details about the Specialist’s death, but the family said they were told the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
The Army has charged 22-year-old Birbilas with premeditated murder and obstruction of justice. Birbilas is originally from Kodiak, Alaska, and Ashton came from Perry, Ohio.