KILLEEN, Texas - Homicide detectives in Killeen say they have arrested a Fort Hood soldier in connection to the 2019 homicide of 32-year-old Chelsea Cheatham.
According to a police news report, Grafton was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder.
Back on June 3, 2019, the Killeen Police Department responded to the Days Inn Hotel in Killeen, where they located the victim, 32-year-old Cheatham.
On September 2, 2020, the Texas Rangers informed KPD about the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Program and the possibility of utilizing advanced DNA testing to help solve this case.
After reviewing the investigation, the Texas Rangers and KPD identified 20-year-old Cory Grafton, a soldier from Fort Hood, as a possible suspect.
Investigators interviewed Grafton about Cheatham’s death and collected a sample of his DNA. One of Grafton’s co-workers provided a statement to police that Grafton confessed to him about killing Cheatham.
Investigators expedited the DNA test on Grafton’s sample, and on Nov. 3, the test results confirmed Grafton’s DNA matched the DNA found at the crime scene.
This story was first reported by KXXV in Waco, Texas.
