Francine Martinez

Sgt. Francine Martinez was a 24-year-old Hispanic soldier and mother stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan, she had joined the Army in April 2018 and served as a cannon crew member. Just weeks before her death, she had filed a petition in court to formally establish the parent-child relationship with her ex-boyfriend, a necessary first step for seeking child support.

In the early morning of September 4, 2021, Francine was out with friends at the Hangover Bar & Grill in Killeen. There, she encountered her child’s father, Cpl. Nakealon Keunte Mosley, who was also a soldier at Fort Hood. Witnesses reported that after Francine left the club, Mosley approached her in the parking lot and they had a verbal altercation. Francine then left as a passenger in a red Dodge Challenger. Mosley followed in his white Chrysler, pulled up alongside the Dodge on West Elms Road around 1:50 a.m., and fired several shots into the car.

Francine was struck once in the head. She was rushed by private vehicle to Seton Medical Center in Harker Heights and was subsequently airlifted to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple. After undergoing surgery and fighting for her life for 12 days, Francine Martinez succumbed to her injuries on September 16, 2021. She was pronounced deceased at 10:25 p.m.

Police arrested Nakealon Mosley on September 5, 2021, initially charging him with aggravated assault. After Francine’s death, the Bell County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case, and Mosley was indicted for murder on November 10, 2021. During his trial, evidence was presented suggesting Mosley may have been a passenger in his car while another man drove and fired the weapon. Based on the “law of parties,” which can hold a person criminally responsible for the conduct of another, the jury proceeded. After a lengthy trial, Mosley was convicted of murder in July and sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Mosley had maintained that his roommate at the time, Demetrius Lavar Jones Jr., was the person who drove the car and shot Francine. Jones, a former Army private, consistently stated he was not present during the incident. In November 2024, authorities arrested Jones and charged him with murder.

The case took another turn just before Jones’s trial was set to begin. In September 2025, the murder charge against Demetrius Jones was dismissed because a key witness was unavailable due to medical issues. Prosecutors stated their intention to refile the charge once the witness is able to testify.