Army sergeant Tyrone Hassel III was gunned down in the driveway of his father's Michigan home on New Year's Eve 2018 as a result of a vicious murder plot orchestrated by his then-wife Kemia Hassel and her lover Jeremy Cuellar, given that all three of them were involved in a love triangle.
Kemia and Cuellar, both on-duty soldiers, planned Hassel's killing so that the two of them could be together. Kemia also collected $400,000 in insurance claims from the Army.
Reports state that Cuellar and Kemia were arrested and charged with the killing after investigators received a crucial tip, suggesting that the two were involved in the sergeant's shooting death. The former accepted a plea deal, receiving 65 to 90 years in prison while the wife was found guilty of conspiracy and first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The Murder Tapes on ID chronicles Tyrone Hassel's tragic death in an episode titled Sergeant Hassel. The synopsis states:
"Officers find Tyrone Hassel III shot to death outside his father's home while on holiday leave from the Army; investigators must unravel a real whodunit, and when the killer finally comes out, the detectives can't hide their shock."
The upcoming episode will air on Tuesday, April 4, at 11 pm ET.
Sergeant Tyrone Hassel III's wife and her lover plotted his killing to be together and reap Army insurance payouts
In the late night hours of New Year's Eve 2018, Kemia Hassel made a 911 call, asking for help and informing responders that her "husband was shot." The husband, U.S. Army Sergeant Tyrone Hassel III, was found lifeless in the driveway, his body riddled with bullets. The 23-year-old and his wife, also an active-duty soldier, were holidaying at his father's Michigan home along with their young son.
A subsequent investigation and crucial tip later proved that Kemia Hassel, considered a grieving widow until then, had masterminded the shooting incident that killed her husband and father of her son. She reportedly orchestrated the murder plot with her lover, Jeremy Cuellar, also a soldier, who pulled the trigger.
All three served in the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
Following a tip, detectives were able to arrest the killer couple 11 days after the murder. According to the prosecution's case, the two planned to have Tyrone Hassel killed so they could be together and share the Army's $400,000 life insurance payout. In a recorded conversation with detectives, Kemia Hassel confessed to the motive behind the killing.
Kemia also claimed that she was equally "guilty as he is," having shared “multiple updates” with Cuellar about the victim's whereabouts, so that he could successfully execute the murder plot. She also told officers that Cuellar visited Michigan four times between December 19 and December 31 that year before the shooting and that they planned the murder on Snapchat.
Tyrone Hassel III's shooter claimed that Kemia manipulated him into committing the crime
Jeremy Cuellar agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and in September 2019, was sentenced to 65 to 90 years in prison. Kemia Hassel, on the other hand, was found guilty of conspiracy and first-degree murder. In August 2019, she was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Cuellar admitted to Tyrone Hassel's father that he had been considering divorcing his wife and had reportedly fallen in love with Kemia while they were stationed in South Korea. Later, he even developed feelings for the Hassels' infant. He insisted that she manipulated him into thinking he had to murder her husband.
According to A&E, Jeremy Cuellar addressed the victim's family in court, saying:
"I want to apologize to the family again, sincerely. I was a fool for just taking her words and not really looking to see who he was."
Cuellar added:
"I also want to apologize to the Army. It was the best thing that happened to me. It was stupid, and that's not me at all. I was raised right, I just had issues within my own demons, I know we all do. But what she was telling me, I opened up to her and she played on it. I shouldn't have opened up to her. I was a fool for trusting her."
ID's The Murder Tapes airs this Tuesday at 11 pm ET.