SAN ANTONIO, Texas — President Donald Trump signed a bill, authored by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), into law that directs the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs to exhume and remove the remains of Sergeant Fernando V. Cota, an alleged serial murderer and convicted rapist, from its sacred resting place. Cota, a Vietnam veteran, was interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in 1984.
Despite prohibitions now in place making Cota ineligible for military honors at the cemetery due to his rape conviction, they were not in place at the time of his internment. The exhumation of Cota’s remains was signed into law under a bill filed by U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Fernando Cota’s life took a drastic turn after completing his tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War in the 1970s. Shortly after exiting the military, Cota was arrested and later convicted of rape in El Paso County, Texas. Cota was sentenced to eight years in prison and would be released in 1983, according to a digitized archive of a news report at the time of his death in 1984.
The report documents Cota’s last moments in San Jose, California, when California Highway Patrol troopers stopped him in October of 1984. Troopers stopped the van Cota was driving after they observed the vehicle weaving on the highway. During the vehicle stop, according to reports at the time, Cota was asked to open the door to his van.
Cota allegedly shouted, “I’m a sick man. Kill me!” before he put a gun to his head and shot himself. Cota would die in a local hospital within an hour. Officers searched Cota’s van and discovered the partially nude body of 21-year-old Kim Dunham, of Milpitas, California. Dunham’s hands were bound behind her back, and she had been strangled.
A search of Cota’s San Jose apartment would reveal a small closet where investigators believe the alleged killer would keep subdued kidnap victims as he watched their suffering through a makeshift peephole drilled into the door, according to the new report.
According to a press release by Senator Cornyn, fake identification cards, a counterfeit police badge, multiple articles of female clothing, and women’s shoes were found at Cota’s apartment during the investigation into Dunham’s murder. In addition, police discovered fingerprint evidence inside the apartment that would later be used in efforts to identify additional victims. In all, six females were identified as potential victims of Cota’s alleged killing spree, all killed by strangulation, stabbing, or physical trauma.
Police believe Cota lured his victims to his apartment through false roommate solicitations placed on the campus of San Jose State University, seeking students as potential roommates at his residence near the campus.
Senator Cornyn commented on the passage of his bill on Monday saying, “Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a sacred resting place for more than 170,000 respected veterans and their loved ones, and it would be a slap in the face to each one of them to allow Fernando Cota, a convicted rapist and alleged serial murderer, to remain buried amongst such heroes.”
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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