The Army at Fort Drum, New York, has charged Specialist Riley Birbilas with the suspected premeditated murder of his roommate, Specialist Jacob Ashton.
Both men were in the same company stationed with the 2nd Battalion,10th Mountain Division, at Fort Drum following a tour of Iraq.
According to Ashton’s relatives, the pair had been roommates since April, and they were unaware of any bad blood between the two soldiers.
On August 5, the remains of 21-year-old Ashton were discovered in a car in a parking lot on the expansive base near Watertown, NY.
The Army has not released any details about the Specialist’s death, but the family said they were told the cause of death was blunt force trauma.
The Army has charged 22-year-old Birbilas with premeditated murder and obstruction of justice. Birbilas is originally from Kodiak, Alaska, and Ashton came from Perry, Ohio.
Spc. Riley Birbilas faces military justice over alleged murder of Spc. Jacob Ashton
Birbilas was arrested last week and is currently in custody at Oneida County Jail. He will be prosecuted through the military justice system, meaning he will face a court-martial, the military equivalent of a criminal trial.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe Army has not provided a motive for the killing.
If found guilty, the soldier will likely face life imprisonment in a military prison or possibly execution.
The victim, Specialist Ashton, spent nine months in Iraq in 2023 before returning to Fort Drum. His sister, Alaina Ustupski, told the press, “He went to Iraq and didn’t have a scratch on him, and then comes home, thinks he is safe, and apparently isn’t.”
Ustupski added, “We were just in shock. It was a nightmare. When they told me, I felt like I was dying.”
US Army, family, and friends paid tribute to murdered Spc. Jacob Ashton
Friends and family all spoke of Ashton as someone who had been an active member of his community in Perry, OH. He used to volunteer to help out with little kids at the Perry Recreation Program. Former teachers and acquaintances say he was always polite and always had a smile on his face.
In a statement, Col. Anthony Gore, 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander, said of Ashton, “Our entire Commando family feels profound sorrow for the loss of Jacob. While words do little to ease the pain of Jacob’s passing, we are a family, and we will wrap our arms around his family as well as support each other. Let us live in a manner worthy of honoring Jacob’s life and service. As we mourn, I ask each of us to keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Specialist Ashton’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with C Device, the National Defense Service Medal, the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, the Global War of Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Combat Infantry Badge.