Sexual Assault Charges at Fort Hood, 2021–2023: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences

Trends › By Installation › Fort Hood › Article 120, 2021–2023

Based on 49 cases · 2021–2023 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

Punitive Discharges for 91% of Convicted Enlisted Members

Among 33 enlisted members convicted, 30 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (91%), more often than the 80% in Army-wide Article 120 cases. Of those 30, 20 were dishonorable, the most severe discharge available to an enlisted member. Of 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed.

A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not capture.

Shorter Median Confinement

Of the 35 convictions, 83% included confinement. The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 1.8 years in the rest of the Army. A quarter of terms were 2.7 years or longer.

Sentences of more than 1 year but under 5 years were the largest group: 49% of convictions, compared with 37% Army-wide. Only 6% were 5 years or more, compared with 16%. Sentences longer than one year were imposed in 19 of 35 convictions (54%), close to the 53% across the Army. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case.

More Full Acquittals When Members Decided

Contested cases decided by members ended in a full acquittal 48% of the time (11 of 23). Contested cases decided by a military judge alone ended in a full acquittal 21% of the time (3 of 14). The records show the difference but not the reasons for it, and they cannot show whether the cases each forum heard were alike in evidence or charges.

Overall, a military judge alone decided guilt in 26 of 49 cases (53%), and members heard 23: 21 with enlisted panels and 2 with officer panels. Members heard 23 of the 37 contested cases (62%). The accused usually chooses the forum, and most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.

Verdicts in Contested Trials

Of the 37 contested cases that reached a verdict, 38% ended in a full acquittal, lower than the 42% in the rest of the Army. Another 17 were partial acquittals, in which the accused was found not guilty of something but guilty of something else.

Army results list findings charge by charge, which is why partial acquittals are frequent in Army data. A partial acquittal still produces a conviction and a sentence.

Most Accused Pleaded Not Guilty

Only 12 accused pleaded guilty, and 37 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 76%, compared with 71% in Army-wide Article 120 cases.

Of the 12 guilty pleas, 9 are recorded with a plea agreement and 3 have no entry. Army records note only whether an agreement existed. They do not say what an agreement provided, such as a cap on confinement.

Charges Filed With Sexual Assault

Article 120 was the only charge in 25 of the 49 cases. The rest added other articles, most often Article 128 (assault) in 13 cases, Article 92 (orders violation) in 9, Article 134 (general article) in 6, Article 80 (attempt) in 4, and Article 107 (false official statement) in 2.

When an assault or attempt charge is filed with a sexual assault charge, it often concerns the same incident. A sentence covers the whole case, and the records do not divide it by charge, so the confinement and discharge figures above reflect every offense that ended in a guilty finding.

Rank and Court Level

By rank, the accused were 32 junior enlisted members, 15 NCOs, and 2 officers, a group more junior than Army Article 120 cases overall.

General courts-martial heard 48 of the 49 cases (98%, compared with 95% in the rest of the Army). A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.

Counts Over Time

The records show 49 cases between January 2021 and December 2023: 25 in 2021, 12 in 2022, and 12 in 2023. Article 120 was charged in 35% of the 142 courts-martial at Fort Hood over those years.

Article 120 is a covered offense. The services were required to begin publishing trial records under Article 140a by December 2020, and Army records in this data are sparse before 2021.

What the Records Do Not Show

Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or allegations resolved outside a court-martial. They give trial dates, not offense dates.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial

About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.