Texas Man Charged with Murder of Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead on Side of Road 3 Months Ago

Pfc. Brandon Rosecrans' murder is one of several deaths involving Fort Hood soldiers this year

Pfc. Brandon Scott Rosecrans. Photo: U.S. Army

A Texas man has been charged with the murder of a Fort Hood soldier who was found fatally shot on the side of a road in May.

Brandon Michael Olivares, 28, is accused of killing 27-year-old Pfc. Brandon Scott Rosecrans, a quartermaster and chemical equipment repairer who had been assigned to the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division since November 2018.

Police said Olivares and Rosecrans, a National Defense Service Medal recipient, were traveling together in Rosecrans’ Jeep Renegade before he was shot. His body was discovered at 10:16 a.m. on May 18 on a secluded road in Harker Heights.

Rosecrans’ Jeep was found about four miles away, engulfed in flames, 11 minutes later.

It is unclear how the two knew each other or the possible motive behind the murder.

“This is not over,” Rosecrans’ father Thomas Berg told the Statesman. “It is a victory, but at the same time this is just a piece of news until we can put this all together.”

Rosecrans’ murder is one of several deaths involving Fort Hood soldiers this year.

In late June, the partial remains of missing 20-year-old Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen were discovered in a shallow grave near the Leon River in rural Bell County. Guillen’s suspected killer, Spc. Aaron David Robinson, 20, died by suicide as police closed in on him.

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Earlier that month, the remains of Pvt. 2nd Class Gregory Wedel-Morales, who was missing for 10 months, were discovered in a field in Killeen. Police suspect foul play, KTRK reports.

According to the Harker Police Department, an arrest warrant was issued for Olivares, who was already in custody on unrelated charges, on Aug. 5. PEOPLE was unable to confirm whether he has an attorney.

He is being held on $1 million bail.

Anyone with information about the murder is asked to contact the Harker Heights Police Criminal Investigation Division at 254-953-5400.