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Soldier Guilty: Killed Wife After She Learned of Affair
30 Jun
Summary
- Ex-soldier convicted of murder after wife discovered infidelity.
- He claimed memory loss but was found guilty of murder and evidence tampering.
- Wife Saria Barney Hildabrand was found in a storm drain days later.
Zarrius Hildabrand, a 23-year-old former U.S. Army soldier, was convicted on June 25, 2026, of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. The charges stem from the August 2023 death of his wife, Saria Barney Hildabrand, aged 21.
Hildabrand claimed to have no memory of the night his wife died, testifying that he woke to find her fatally shot and the scene bloody. He stated he acted in a panic to clean up and hide her body in a storm drain, where she was discovered days later.
Prosecutors countered that Hildabrand's claims of memory loss were a fabrication. They presented evidence suggesting he killed Saria after she confronted him about his infidelity. He is scheduled for sentencing on October 23, 2026, facing potential decades in prison.
