A 10th Mountain Division soldier has been charged with the murder of a fellow soldier at the Fort Drum, New York base, Army officials said.
Spc. Riley Birbilas was charged Monday in the murder of Spc. Jacob Ashton. Both served as infantrymen assigned to 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment in the 10th Mountain’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Ashton was found dead on Fort Drum on Aug. 5. Officials did not release additional details about his death.
Birbilas was booked in the Oneida County jail Aug. 9, according to the county’s inmate search tool. He was formally charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with premeditated murder and obstruction of justice on Aug. 12, according to Fort Drum officials. Birbilas is being held in pretrial confinement as he awaits his preliminary Article 32 hearing.
“This case is in the initial stages of the military justice process and a complete and thorough investigation into the facts is nowhere near complete. What we do know, however, is that the information we have at this point creates far more questions than answers about what happened,” Robert Capovilla, the lawyer representing Birbilas said in a statement. “We look forward to providing SPC Birbilas with a vigorous defense to these charges and ask that the public reserve judgment until the investigation is complete and he has his day in court.”
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Birbilas joined the Army in 2021 and has been deployed to Iraq once.
Ashton enlisted in 2021 and deployed with 2nd Brigade Combat Team to Iraq in 2023. His awards and decorations include Combat Infantry Badge, Army Commendation Medal with C Device, the National Defense Service Medal, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Global War of Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division is looking into the case. CID officials did not provide any further information.
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UPDATE: 8/15/2024; This article has been updated with a statement from the lawyer representing Spc. Riley Birbilas.