WAYNESVILLE, Mo. – A Fort Leonard Wood military jury found Army Spc. Wooster Rancy guilty of the premeditated murder of fellow Soldier Sgt. Sarah Roque, 23, during his trial at the Pulaski County Courthouse Feb. 4.
Rancy, a 22-year-old combat engineer assigned to the 509th Engineer Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, was also found guilty of obstructing justice.
On Feb. 6, the military judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, reduction in rank to E-1, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge from the Army.
On Oct. 21, 2024, Roque was reported missing when she failed to report to her unit that morning for formation. A search ensued and later that evening her body was found in a garbage bag placed inside a dumpster behind the barracks where she lived. Roque had been shot in the head with the top of the bag closed by a zip tie.
Agents with the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, initiated an investigation.
Investigators found evidence showing that Rancy purchased heavy-duty trash bags and zip ties from a local Walmart in Waynesville on the morning of Oct. 20. Cell phone data shows that both Roque and Rancy were in her apartment for about an hour around 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 20.
Additional evidence presented during the trial detailed how Rancy conducted an internet search for “how long it takes for a garbage bag to end up in a landfill” and for Fort Leonard Wood’s trash pickup schedule.
In her apartment, investigators found a bullet lodged in a banana inside the refrigerator. A firearm located in Rancy’s off installation apartment was confirmed through forensic testing to be the gun connected to the bullet found in Roque’s apartment.
During the trial, a witness testified that while dumpster diving he found Roque’s cell phone in a dumpster near Rancy’s off-post apartment.
“This case was an important step towards justice for Sgt. Sarah Roque and her family,” said Lt. Col. John Haberland, circuit chief, Fourth Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
“The collaborative work of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri, and the Fort Leonard Wood Department of Emergency Services, enhanced by expert analysis from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, was essential to achieving this outcome. Effective coordination between all agencies is what brought about this just result.”
Haberland added, “We are also grateful for the support from officials with Pulaski County for allowing us to hold the trial at their courthouse and ensuring the proceedings went smoothly.”
“This outcome was a true team effort, and I want to thank the Western District of Missouri U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners at the FBI Springfield Resident Agency and the Kansas City Field Office,” said Special Agent in Charge John McCabe of Army CID’s Midcentral Field Office.
“This sends a clear message that Army CID and our justice system will not waver in the pursuit of justice. While no ruling can bring back Sgt. Sarah Roque or restore what was stolen from her loved ones, this sentencing brings accountability for this senseless act of violence.”
Rancy, who is from North Miami, Fla., will serve his prison sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
A decision was made to hold the trial off-post at a larger courtroom in anticipation of the interest from the public and the media in this case.
This case was investigated by Army CID’s Fort Leonard Wood Resident Agency and the FBI. It was prosecuted by Haberland and Capt. Rachel Rose, Fourth Circuit, Army OSTC, Capt. Tyler Eason, Fourth Circuit, Army OSTC, and Capt. Corey Lesser, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, Fort Leonard Wood. Sgt. First Class Tyler Horl, senior paralegal, Fourth Circuit, Army OSTC, assisted with the case.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit [https://www.army.mil/ostc](https://www.army.mil/ostc).
If you would like to report a crime, have information about a crime, or have been the subject or survivor of a crime, you can submit anonymous tips to Army CID at [www.p3tips.com/armycid](http://www.p3tips.com/armycid).
| Date Taken: |
02.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
02.06.2026 16:22 |
| Story ID: |
557655 |
| Location: |
WAYNESVILLE, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: |
74 |
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0 |
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This work, Army Specialist Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering Fellow Soldier at Fort Leonard Wood, by Michelle McCaskill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
