FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — A former soldier was sentenced to 200 months, or more than 16 years, in federal prison for the attempted murder of a fellow soldier while stationed at Fort Hood, now known as Fort Cavazos, in June 2000.
Allen Houston James, 46, of Suffolk, Virginia, was convicted of entering the barracks room of a sleeping soldier and attempting to rape her at knifepoint. When the victim resisted, James repeatedly stabbed her. After he left the scene, the victim managed to escape and report the assault before being rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Medical records revealed that one of the victim’s neck wounds came dangerously close to her jugular vein and nearly reached her spine, causing permanent nerve damage.
The case went unsolved for years due to a lack of leads, until 2019, when new DNA analysis by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) identified James as the perpetrator. In March of 2021, Army investigators found James at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and arrested him.
James was indicted July 13, 2021 for one count of attempt to commit murder and arrested the following day in the Eastern District of Virginia. He was transferred to Waco July 19, 2021, then reassigned to Chief Judge Alia Moses in Del Rio Nov. 13, 2023. James was found guilty by jury trial on Feb. 23, 2024.
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