Trial date set for Kemia Hassel and Jeremy Cuellar

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich--- Kemia Hassel and Jeremy Cuellar were bound over on charges of 1st Degree premeditated murder on Wednesday. The two are accused of killing Kamia's husband, Sergeant Tyrone Hassel III on New Years Eve.

Prosecutors called three witnesses before a judge Wednesday. Two of those witnesses were members of Cuellar's army unit.

Both testified that Cuellar was plotting Hassel's killing with Kemia while he and Kemia were stationed in Korea in the summer of 2018.

"At summertime he approached me basically saying that “Buddy has to go,” referring Sergeant Hassel, and basically saying that he wanted to be with Specialist Hassel," Specialist Jaquan Hamilton told the judge. "He was basically saying that he had to go and that he do what he had to do."

Detectives say that from that point, Cuellar and Kemia Hassel began planning to kill Sergeant Hassel, communicating via Snapchat. 

"They talked about them being together, her being unhappy with Sgt. Hassel," testified Officer Michael Lanier of the St. Joseph Township Police. "There was a statement made ultimately that 'I can handle this.'”

Specialist Hamilton went on to testify that Cuellar allegedly confessed killing Sergeant Hassel to him. 

"He said he caught him coming out of the house, and he shot him in the head. Then he dropped and he shot him again," said Hamilton. 

Both Cuellar and Kemia Hassel are due back in court on March 18th. They are expected to be tried on April 30th.