A former soldier stationed at Fort Hood, which is now known as Fort Cavazos, has received a sentence of over 16 years in a federal penitentiary for the attempted murder of a fellow soldier back in June 2000. The sentencing occurred in Del Rio with Allen Houston James, a 46-year-old from Suffolk, Virginia, facing a 200-month term behind bars. In an incident shrouded by the passing of years, James had entered the quarters of a sleeping soldier and tried to sexually assault her at knifepoint, leading to her sustaining severe injuries after a struggle.
According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the unnamed victim bravely fought off her aggressor but not before being stabbed multiple times. After James fled, she sought help and underwent emergency surgery; one stab wound menacingly close to her jugular vein, a hair's breadth from what could have resulted in her death.
The case initially failed to yield any suspects as DNA evidence did not match anyone in the system, subsequently going cold. However, advancements in DNA analysis by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) led to a breakthrough in 2019, once again putting the spotlight on a crime long entrenched in the shadows. Employing this new technology, Army CID managed to successfully identify James as the assailant while he was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
On July 13, 2021, James was indicted on one count of attempted murder and swiftly arrested the following day in the Eastern District of Virginia. After a jury found him guilty on Feb. 23, 2024, a transfer to Del Rio was arranged, where Chief Judge Alia Moses would hand down a sentence that, while delivered two decades later, recognizes the enduring impact of such an act of brutality—military investigators working to assuredly bring closure to a chapter long overdue for its end.
The case was investigated by the Army CID with Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman announcing the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Frazier and Mary Kucera, along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Siddharth Dadhich, prosecuted the case. The sentencing marks a close to a decades-old crime, with justice served through the perseverance and tenacity of those dedicated to ensuring that the wheels of justice, although turning slowly, grind on inexorably.
