Man accused of killing Fort Hood soldier gets 40 years in prison
BELL COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44) - The man accused of killing Fort Hood soldier Brandon Rosencrans will spend the next 40 years in prison.
Brandon Michael Olivares made a plea deal with Bell County prosecutors in February, and a judge sentenced him towards the end of March. Olivares was charged with murder and arrested on August 5 - after the body of 27-year-old Rosecrans was discovered in the 2100 block of Fuller Lane in Harker Heights in May 2020.
At first, Olivares told others he killed Rosecrans for trying to rape his girlfriend - but the girlfriend denies this happened.
Olivares was indicted for the murder of Rosecrans in September 2020. An investigation into the murder revealed that the victim and suspect were traveling together in the victim’s vehicle before the suspect discharged a firearm at the victim.
In the arrest affidavit, detectives say Olivares first claimed another person, Jai Smith, killed Rosecrans while they were driving back from San Antonio - where they bought illegal drugs. Investigators say they obtained the phone records for all three men to check this story. They say Smith’s phones never left Killeen that night.
Olivares was in the Bell County Jail on a $1 million bond. He was already in jail when he was charged with murder.