Glendale Police: Man, woman died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds at Glendale home

4-9-17 Arizona:

GLENDALE, AZ - Police are releasing more information after a man and woman who were found dead in a Glendale home over the weekend.

A Phoenix spokesperson said they were serving a search warrant to a home near 59th and Peoria avenues on Saturday night in connection to a child pornography investigation.

While officers were entering the home they heard a single gunshot, officials said. Dan Ray Reynolds, 47, and 32-year-old Jessica Rochelle Garcia were found dead inside the home.

It’s believed that both Garcia and Reynolds suffered self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The pair died at the scene, police said.

No additional information was immediately available. ..Source.. by

Sex offender dies after what appears to be self-inflicted injuries

7-28-16 Arizona:

KINGMAN - A Yucca man being tried for sex offense charges was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday morning.

Patrick Haslem, 59, was found wounded in his vehicle by a passerby on Franconia Road between Lake Havasu City and Yucca, according to Mohave County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Trish Carter. Haslem was still alive when deputies, a ground medical team and helicopter responded. He was airlifted to Havasu Regional Medical Center where he died of his injuries at approximately 4:30 a.m.

The Sheriff's office does not yet know when the shooting actually happened. It is believed he shot himself in a suicide attempt and died of his injuries.

Body of convicted child sex offender found in desert

5-15-15 Arizona:

The body of convicted child sex offender Gary Talkington was found in his vehicle today from an apparent suicide.

A pair of joggers came across Talkington's vehicle, which was parked in the desert near Linda Vista and Shannon roads. The joggers, who called police at 11:16 a.m., said they noticed a male hunched over in the passenger seat, and a lot of blood at the scene.

"Detectives came out and identified him as Gary Talkington," said Deputy Tom Peine of the Sheriff's Department. "He suffered some trauma, which appears to be self-inflicted."

The Pima County Sheriff's Department posted a Facebook status asking for help in locating the 60-year-old Talkington after he didn't show up for his court date, where he was to be sentenced with six counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

Along with the Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Marshals were in process of attempting to locate Talkington when his body was discovered. ..Source.. by Local Media

New York man convicted in child pornography case dies after being found unresponsive in prison cell

5-5-2014 Arizona:

TUCSON, Arizona — A New York state man sentenced to 37 years in prison in a child pornography case has died after being found unresponsive in his prison cell in Arizona.

The federal Bureau of Prisons says an autopsy will determine the cause of death of Benet Schmidt of Cohoes, New York, who died Sunday, a day after he was found unresponsive at the federal prison in Tucson.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Shreveport, Louisiana, Schmidt pleaded guilty in April 2012 to engaging in a child-exploitation enterprise.

The office says dozens of people were convicted in the case stemming from an online child-porn bulletin board known as Dreamboard. ..Source.. by The Republic

Sex offender found dead at Florence prison

12-15-2008 Arizona:

A convicted child sex offender has been found dead at the state prison in Florence.

The Arizona Department of Corrections issued a statement Monday saying that Matthew Goodwin, 36, was found Friday hanging from a shower in the Arizona State Prison Complex-Eyman's Cook Unit.

ADOC said an investigation was continuing and that an autopsy would be conducted.

ADOC said Goodwin had been in prison since Jan. 19, 2007, after being sentenced in Pima County to nearly 77 years for sexual exploitation of a minor and aggravated assault. ..Source.. by KTAR.com

Man commits suicide after child-porn arrest

4-14-2013 Arizona:

A Tucson man who had been arrested in connection with sexual exploitation of a minor committed suicide, police said Thursday.

Richard Braun, 50, who was arrested last Friday, was found dead in his home Tuesday, said Sgt. Chris Widmer, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

Braun had recently been released from the Pima County jail, Widmer said.

In January, a tip was sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about three photos depicting child sexual abuse that were uploaded to an online data storage website.

The upload was traced to a home owned by Braun in the 1500 block of West Greenlee Street,near West Prince and North Romero roads, police said. At least two of the photos "appeared to be obviously child pornography," a search warrant stated.

Braun was facing five felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. ..Source.. by Arizona Daily Star

Accused child molester kills self on eve of trial

3-6-2013 Arizona:

Rather then face a jury trial for child molestation this week, 73-year-old Herbert Jones shot himself at his Blue Ridge home on Monday.

Opening statements were to begin this morning in Division I of Coconino County Superior Court. He was indicted in 2011 on two counts of child molestation and two counts of sexual conduct with a minor. The child was 5 or 6 years old when the abuse started and prosecutors charged that it lasted for several years.

Jones was found dead in a lawn chair in his back yard at about 1 p.m. with a single gunshot wound to his chest, an investigator said. Foul play was not suspected.

"There was no note, but he made some statements to family members that this was his intent," according to Coconino County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Gerry Blair. ..Source.. by Eric Betz

Retired cop commits suicide after computer seized in child porn case

1-15-2013 Arizona:

GLENDALE, AZ (CBS5) - Glendale investigators said a retired Phoenix police sergeant killed himself after a computer from his home was seized during a child pornography investigation.

Glendale Sgt. Brent Coombs said AOL contacted Glendale police Jan. 9 with information that a computer from retired Phoenix Police Sgt. Don Casey Jr.'s, 59, home had accessed child pornographic images.

Detectives seized the computer from the home that morning. Casey was questioned, as were other adults in the house, Coombs said. However, there was not enough evidence to make an arrest.

"At that point, detectives did not have enough cause to arrest anybody," Coombs said.

"[It's] just that things were coming from that particular computer, so further investigation had to be done," he said.

Investigators began a forensic analysis on the computer and the hard drive. However, on Thursday the investigation took a tragic turn.

"Thursday afternoon about 1 p.m., our police department's dispatch center received a phone call from a person identifying himself as Don Casey," Coombs said.

During that call, Casey told dispatchers he was going to kill himself. Police rushed to the remote scene off New River Road and found Casey dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"Unfortunately when we got there, we found an adult male on the ground, away from a vehicle," Coombs said.

Investigators said it could be days, if not weeks before it can be determined who accessed the child pornography from the home's computer.

A man who answered the door at Casey's home declined to comment. Casey retired from Phoenix police in 2005 after more than 20 years at the department. ..Source.. by Greg Argos

DPS officer accused of child molestation commits suicide

9-6-2012 Arizona:

A veteran Department of Public Safety officer committed suicide Wednesday near Yuma after being informed that he was under investigation for sexual abuse and child molestation.

Deputies responded Wednesday evening to a 911 call about a dead person found at Adair Park Shooting Range northeast of Yuma, according to Capt. Eben Bratcher, spokesman for the Yuma County Sheriff's Office. Bratcher said deputies arrived on scene and found the body of James Howard, who had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Howard had served as a DPS officer assigned to the Roll area.

Bratcher that said on Wednesday morning, investigators from the sheriff's office had served a search warrant at Howard's residence, located in the 38100 Block of Kumquat Dr. Drive in Roll, in reference to an ongoing criminal investigation.

VA nurse arrested on child porn charges commits suicide

8-13-2012 Arizona:

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - The Tucson VA nurse arrested last Wednesday for child pornography charges committed suicide, according to Tucson police Sgt. Maria Hawke.

Christopher R. Brown, was taken into custody Wednesday, August 8, after police found hundreds of illegal pictures on his home computer and other media devices. He was charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Sgt. Hawke confirmed that Brown committed suicide sometime between late evening August 12 and early morning of August 13.

After the arrest, Brown was placed on paid leave from the VA hospital where he worked for the past 22 years.

Police were tipped off in March by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a man was uploading child porn pictures to a social media site. After investigating the incident, they got a search warrant and raided Brown's home. ..Source.. by Sarah Cantey

Minister shoots self in teen cyber sex case

4-23-2011 Arizona:

PHOENIX - Police say a minister in the Valley fatally shot himself Thursday after he was investigated for having inappropriate communications with a teen.

Nicholas William Minerva, 52, of Tempe shot himself as police tried to serve a search warrant at Trinity Baptist Fellowship Church in Phoenix, near 32nd Street and Southern Avenue, according to Chandler police Detective Frank Mendoza. Police said Minerva barricaded himself inside the church and later shot himself.

Minerva was being investigated for allegedly luring a 14-year-old girl who he contacted in a chat room on the Internet, Mendoza said.

The communications started in July and lasted until Thursday, Mendoza said.

Mendoza said during these Internet chats, Minerva exposed his genitalia.

Police say it’s possible there may be other victims in this case.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Chandler Police Department at 480-782-4130.

Phoenix police have taken over the investigation into Minerva's suicide. ..Source.. by Erisa Nakano

Detention Center inmate attempts suicide

12-29-2010 Arizona:

An inmate at the Cascade County Detention Center remained in critical condition Tuesday after he attempted suicide on Monday.

Phillip J. Humeyumptewa, 30, was found unconscious and hanging from a bed-sheet in his cell Monday, about eight minutes after a jail guard checked on him, according to Chief Capt. Dan O'Fallon of the Cascade County Sheriff's Office, who supervises the detention center.

Humeyumptewa suffered cardiac arrest as a result of the hanging, O'Fallon said. Humeyumptewa was transported to the emergency room at Benefis Health System after detention center staff and emergency responders were able to revive him and restart his heart.

As of Tuesday, Humeyumptewa was still in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

"Due to the great work of the staff in that housing area, he wasn't successful (in committing suicide)," O'Fallon said.

He said Humeyumptewa showed no signs of wanting to kill himself, adding that inmates who have suicidal tendencies are placed on suicide watch.

Humeyumptewa's suicide attempt came a month after another county inmate hanged himself. Andrew Diaz III, 31, died in the early morning hours of Nov. 27. Diaz also hanged himself with his bed-sheets.

According to court documents filed Tuesday, Humeyumptewa's chances for recovery seem grim. The County Attorney's Office filed a motion Tuesday to reduce his bail and release him on his own recognizance because of the severity of his condition.

"It appears the defendant is brain dead, and it is unlikely that his condition will change," the motion states.

Humeyumptewa's family has been informed, and it will be up to them to make any end-of-life decisions, according to the state's motion. Representatives from the County Attorney's Office did not return inquiries for comment Tuesday.

Humeyumptewa remains in the custody of the jail pending a decision by a Cascade County District Court judge.

Humeyumptewa was convicted in September of kidnapping and raping a woman in Great Falls last year. He has remained in the detention center since the trial, awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled for Jan. 20.

Humeyumptewa was accused of tying up and raping a woman he met at a Great Falls bar in September 2009. Court documents allege that he used neckties to tie the victim's wrists and ankles together, and forced her to have sex with him in his residence on the 700 block of 5th Avenue North.

Two more women came forward after he was charged and alleged that he forced them to have sex with him without their consent. In September, a jury found Humeyumptewa guilty of the first count of sex without consent and of two felony charges of kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence.

Humeyumptewa has been a registered sex offender since a 1997 conviction in Arizona on charges of kidnapping and sexual assault of a minor. He was arrested in August — while awaiting trial in the Cascade County jail — on a warrant out of Maricopa County, Ariz., alleging that he committed felony kidnapping, aggravated assault and sexual assault. Those charges stemmed from an incident in December 2001. ..Source.. by Kimball Bennion

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Inmate dies 2 days after jail cell hanging

GREAT FALLS — Cascade County officials say a 30-year-old man awaiting sentencing on rape and kidnapping charges has died at a Great Falls hospital two days after he was found hanging in his jail cell.

Deputy County Attorney Josh Racki says Phillip J. Humeyumptewa died Wednesday evening at Benefis Health System after a suicide attempt Monday afternoon.

Humeyumptewa was found hanging from a bed sheet in his cell at the Cascade County Detention Center about eight minutes after a guard had checked on him. He suffered cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital after jail staff and emergency responders managed to restore his heart beat. ..Source.. by Billings Gazette

Florence Inmate Found Dead

11-4-2010 Arizona:

Florence, Arizona -- James Galloway, 54, was found dead in his Florence prison cell Oct. 26.

His death was an apparent suicide, according to Arizona Department of Corrections officials, but they are still investigating.

Galloway was serving 18 life sentences for multiple counts of sexual assault with a minor. He was sentenced in September 2008. ..Source.. by KPHO.com

Body of Sex Offender Found in Car Trunk

5-26-2010 Arizona:

Marshals say Trevor Mazak committed suicide

FLAGSTAFF - A convicted sex offender and stalker that was wanted by Chandler Police has been found dead in the trunk of a car.

The U.S. Marshals Office found Trevor Mazak's body in the trunk of a car parked in Flagstaff.

Mazak was wanted for stalking and probation violations. He was supposed to appear in court last September but never showed up.

About two weeks ago, a Flagstaff Police officer noticed a foul smell coming from a car parked at a business near the Flagstaff airport.

Mazak's body was in the trunk and it reportedly had been there for awhile.

Inmate on death row for woman's murder commits suicide

3-16-2010 Arizona:

FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) — Department of Corrections officials are investigating the death of an inmate housed at the Arizona State Prison in Florence.

Corrections officials say 46-year-old James Adams apparently committed suicide.

Adams was sentenced to death by a Maricopa County Judge for first degree murder. He was found hanging in his cell and pronounced dead at 3:29 p.m. Sunday.

Adams entered state prison Nov. 12, 1997 and was held at the Browning Unit at the Arizona State Prison Eyman Complex . ..Source.. by azFamily.com


Murdered woman's mom talks to 3TV after killer commits suicide

PHOENIX – A notorious Arizona death row case ended unexpectedly Sunday when a 46-year-old inmate committed suicide.

James Van Adams was sentenced to death for murdering and sexually assaulting a young real estate agent in the Valley about 14 years ago.

3TV’s Mike Watkiss spoke to the family of Michelle Cohen Anglin about Adams’ suicide.

In 1996 this was a high-profile homicide case that rocked the state. A beautiful young real estate agent was murdered while showing a home.

Now the man responsible is dead by his own hand and, according to the victim’s family, that is welcome news.

“There’s evil in the world and know that everyone out there…that you can’t trust everyone,” Cindy Scott.

Valley resident Scott is a woman who can talk with authority about the topic of evil. In addition to being a young busy mom raising two children, Cindy is also a well-respected detective with the Phoenix Police Department.

Fourteen years ago, Cindy’s family was rocked by evil when Cindy’s beautiful younger sister, Michelle Anglin, was brutally murdered as the 22-year-old real estate agent was showing a home to a man named James Van Adams.

He was a convicted sex offender masquerading as a prospective home-buyer.

Cindy says, “It’s horrible and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone but unfortunately the evil is out there and it’s gonna happen to somebody again and they’re gonna have to deal with this.”

It is a heartache that has never left Cindy or her mother Peggy. It was a very high-profile story in the late 1990s that is now back in the news with word that James Van Adams, the man who was convicted and sent to death row for sexually assaulting and killing Michelle Anglin has killed himself inside a cell in an Arizona prison.

Peggy tells 3TV, “This man it’s like one day, one afternoon he took a grenade and threw it in my family and destroyed it and he hung himself.” Peggy goes on, “He strangled her. He got a little bit of what he did to her.”

At her east Valley home on Wednesday Peggy makes no pretense and says she is “ecstatic” over the news of Van Adams.

He was a registered sex offender who had done prison time in California for sexually assaulting another real estate agent before he moved to Arizona, taking the life of Peggy’s beloved daughter Michelle just three months after Michelle’s wedding.

“She was a wonderful girl,” Peggy says. “She walked this earth for 22 years and I enjoyed every moment of it.” ..Source.. by Mike Watkiss

Inmate apparently commits suicide in Ariz. prison

12-28-2009 Arizona:

FLORENCE - The Arizona Department of Corrections says an inmate has apparently committed suicide at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Eyman at Florence.

He was identified as 47-year-old Monte McCarty.

Department officials say McCarty was pronounced dead shortly before noon Saturday at the Florence prison, some 65 miles southeast of Phoenix.

A spokesman for the department, Bill Lamoreaux, declined to discuss details Monday, saying the death remains under investigation.

McCarty was placed under Department of Corrections custody in June 2008 and was serving a life sentence for sexual conduct with a minor. ..Source.. AP

AR- Molestation suspect found dead in hotel

Posted in Related Deaths

3-11-2009 Arizona:

An Oceanside barber suspected of child molestation was found dead in a Flagstaff, Ariz., hotel yesterday after local police heard gunshots inside the room, authorities said.

Flagstaff police found Andone Hairabedian, 62, and a woman dead in the hotel room. It was unclear if the woman was Hairabedian's wife, Yvonne.

Oceanside police Officer Kim Rainwater said that on Feb. 19 the department's family protection unit began to investigate allegations that Hairabedian, already a registered sex offender, had molested a relative under age 14 at his home. The next day, investigators searched Hairabedian's home on South Coast Highway and his barbershop on Mission Avenue.

Detectives later found out Hairabedian and his wife had fled Oceanside, Rainwater said.

AZ- Inmate found hanged in shower at Arizona prison

12-15-2008 Arizona:

PHOENIX (AP) - A convicted child sex offender has been found dead at the state prison in Florence.

The Arizona Department of Corrections issued a statement Monday saying that 36-year-old Mathew Goodwin was found Friday hanging from a shower in the Arizona State Prison Complex-Eyman's Cook Unit.

ADOC says an investigation was continuing and that an autopsy would be conducted.

ADOC says Goodwin had been in prison since Jan. 19, 2007, after being sentenced in Pima County to nearly 77 years for sexual exploitation of a minor and aggravated assault. ..News Source.. by KVOA.com

AZ- Another Pinal County jail inmate kills himself

8-21-2008 Arizona:

A 45-year-old man committed suicide inside the Pinal County Adult Detention Center early Wednesday, marking the third time an inmate killed himself in just over a month.

Jail staff found Ricky Mann, who was physically handicapped, dead just after midnight. He strangled himself by tying a sheet to his medical walker, sheriff's officials said.

Suicides at Pinal County jail raise concerns

Mann's death comes the day after a Tribune report that cited concerns from experts about recent suicides at the jail. They questioned the jail's supervision, medical care and management.

The other suicides occurred July 8 and 16.

In a statement, the sheriff's office said it is putting the entire jail staff through a refresher course in suicide prevention.

The training will be conducted next week by Pinal County Correctional Health's mental health staff.

Before Mann's death, Pinal County jail's suicide rate was more than double national averages for county jails, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Since 2005, there have been a total of five suicides and five suicide-related injuries. The sheriff's office is also facing a lawsuit for one of the deaths, which occurred last year.

Chief Deputy Terry Altman runs the Pinal County jail, and the recent deaths aren't the first time he's seen a surge of inmate suicides in a short period.

In 2004, Altman was demoted from his position as top commander for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office in Florida after five inmates committed suicide in three months.

Altman has refused interview requests about the suicides and the jail.

Lawyer David Don has filed suit against the jail in the April 2007 death of inmate George Horner, who was found hanging by a sheet from a vent in his cell.

Don wrote in a court document that jail staff knew Horner was suffering from suicidal thoughts and didn't do anything to prevent his death. Horner's family sought a $600,000 settlement. But that offer was rejected, and the case will now go before a jury.

Mann was never placed on suicide watch, sheriff's spokeswoman Vanessa White said. He was booked into jail March 22 and was awaiting trial on several child sex charges. ..News Source.. by David Biscobing, Tribune

'Bankers Hill Rapist' Found Dead In Jail Cell

11-23-2004 Arizona:

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A serial rapist convicted of the sexual assaults of four San Diego women committed suicide in an Arizona jail cell.

James Allen Selby, 38, who was dubbed the "Bankers Hill Rapist" by San Diego police three years ago, killed himself Monday.

Selby was found hanging from the window of his jail cell just a few hours before he was scheduled to be sentenced to life in prison in Tucson for raping five women and a teenage girl there in 2001 and 2002. He used a bedsheet to hang himself.

Selby had been connected by a national DNA databank to the rapes and assaults of 14 girls and women in San Diego; Tucson; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Sparks, Nev.; and Norman, Okla. comma between September 1999 and May 2002.

San Diego prosecutors were planning to extradite him after the Arizona sentencing to face charges that he raped four women between July and September of 2001 in Bankers Hill, North Park and Park West.

Selby was accused of entering his San Diego victims' apartments through windows, covering their faces with a towel and assaulting them, according to court records.

Four days after the last San Diego attack, Selby attacked his first victim in Tucson.

Authorities believe Selby was a drifter who came to San Diego in 2001. At the time of his death, he was serving a sentence of 20 years to life for a Colorado rape conviction and faced multiple life sentences in Tucson.

A convicted serial rapist who faced a life sentenced, was found hanged in his jail cell hours before his scheduled court appearance. ..more.. by 10News.com

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Does a rapist deserve a military burial?
1-25-2008 California:

Honoring a convicted sex predator who killed himself behind bars sends a chilling message to victims.

Consider this, if you can bear to. Jenny Bush, a young Arizona woman just graduated from college, walks into her home at the end of a workday and encounters an armed serial rapist, James Allen Selby. Selby, who had entered through a first-floor window, uses duct tape to gag and bind her, and then rapes her at knifepoint before fleeing.

After freeing herself, Bush has the courage to report the crime to police -- and the conviction to pursue legal justice. Following a nationwide manhunt, Selby is apprehended and accused of attacking Bush (who, with three other victims, took the stand at his trial) and at least 10 others, including a 9-year-old girl. In October 2004, Selby is convicted on 27 counts, including armed robbery, rape, kidnapping and attempted murder (for slitting the throat of one of his victims). But hours before facing sentencing, he hangs himself in a Tucson jail.

For Selby's victims and their families, it may have been tempting to believe a certain accountability remained operative: His suicide put a fine point on how little he had left to live for in the wake of his conviction. But his death also granted this serial rapist a moral reprieve that the civilian legal system couldn't. Selby was a Persian Gulf War veteran and so, in accordance with Pentagon policy, was buried with full military honors at Ft. Sill National Cemetery in Oklahoma.

The military policy of allowing honors burials for veterans convicted of rape sends a chilling message to victims: Even the most heinous sexual violence does not trump prior military service. It is a position that is as ethically indefensible as it is inconsistent. In 1997, after Army veteran Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death for his role in the Oklahoma City bombings, Congress barred veterans convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death or life in prison from being buried with full military honors. Veterans convicted of rape or any other violent crime, however, encounter no such restrictions.

"By honoring those that do not deserve it, we dishonor those who do," Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) said during 1997 hearings on the policy. McVeigh, he said, "was worthy of honor at one time, but he is no longer worthy of honor." Surely the same can be said of Selby.

Jenny Bush's father, Steve Bush, thinks so. Along with several victims' rights organizations, including my own, he has been lobbying to prevent those convicted of the most serious sex crimes from receiving military honors at burial. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), who represents Jenny Bush's district, will introduce "Jenny's Law" in the coming weeks, and Democrat Barbara Boxer of California plans to introduce a companion bill in the Senate.

To be clear, changing the military burials policy would be a largely symbolic act. The Department of Justice conservatively estimates that fewer than 40% of all rapes are reported to authorities, demonstrating how infrequently sexual predators are held accountable. The military in particular has a long history of downplaying or decriminalizing the violence against women committed by men in its ranks. A 2003 Veterans Administration report on military sexual trauma estimated that 60% of women in the Reserves and National Guard experienced rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment while on active duty. Defense Department figures show that there were nearly 3,000 accusations of sexual assault in the military in 2006, up 24% from 2005.

The Miles Foundation, a public policy institute specializing in interpersonal violence associated with the armed forces, estimates that only 2% to 3% of offenders receive disciplinary action as serious as court-martial. More commonly, punishment is of the administrative variety, such as extra duty or a letter of reprimand.

It is tempting, and far too easy, to maintain that the military exists in a realm separate from the civilian world. We tell ourselves that the moral ambiguities demonstrated by soldiers who have gone to battle on our behalf cannot be understood by, or be subject to the laws that govern, the rest of us. But the policies our military establishes to respond to violence against women are not merely abstractions. They are expressions of the military's values, and our own.

In the wake of mass violation of women and girls during the conflicts in Kosovo and Rwanda, rape and sexual violence were for the first time codified as distinct crimes under international law. How telling then, and how troubling, that our country's policy on military burials is at odds with international standards the United States worked to establish.

Opinion: Anne K. Ream is founder of The Voices and Faces Project, an advocacy organization that seeks to engage survivors of sexual violence in political and civic life.