The remains of a rapist and alleged serial murderer were removed last week from a Texas military cemetery as a result of legislation sponsored by Republican Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
Fernando Cota’s remains were removed from the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Military.com reported Monday, citing a statement from Cornyn’s office. Cornyn and Cruz sponsored the legislation at the request of the son of one of Cota’s alleged victims, Cornyn said in an August 2025 press release.
The bill, which is called the “Restoring the Sanctity of Public Entombments, Cemeteries, and Tributes (RESPECT) Act,” gives the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs the ability to retroactively remove the remains of veterans who have committed heinous crimes from burials in national cemeteries, according to Cornyn’s office. Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff, Mazie Hirono, and John Fetterman, and Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Rick Scott supported the bill when it was introduced in September 2025. (RELATED: Woman Plunges To Her Death At Major US Airport, Police Say)
The RESPECT Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, according to a December 2025 press release from Cornyn’s office. The law gave U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins the directive to remove Cota’s remains, the same release states.
Cota was drafted into the Army and served in the Vietnam War, according to Military.com. He was incarcerated for allegedly attacking, bounding, and raping a nurse in 1975. While he received a 20-year prison sentence, he was released on parole in 1983.
Cota was also linked to other sexual assaults as well as the murders of six women, including 21-year-old Kim Marie Dunham, in San Jose, California, Military.com reported. The body of Dunham, who’d been reported missing a day earlier, was discovered by police in Cota’s truck. In addition, police discovered an apparent torture room, fingerprints, false ID cards, and other paraphernalia at Cota’s home linking him to the crimes.
He died by suicide in 1984 after being pulled over by police, according to Military.com. Investigators believe Cota intentionally killed himself to avoid more prison time. He most likely killed his victims by strangulation, stabbing, or severe beatings, investigators determined.
Today, under 38 U.S. Code § 2411, individuals who have committed federal capital crimes or state capital crimes are prohibited from being buried in national cemeteries. The law was adopted in 1984 after Cota’s death, according to Military.com.