Crime & Courts

Fort Wainwright soldier to be tried for murder of son, 3, and rape of wife

A Fort Wainwright soldier accused of murdering his 3-year-old son and raping his wife will be court-martialed in Washington state, according to the U.S. Army Alaska.

Sgt. Nathaniel E. Ulroan, 24, originally from the Southwest Alaska village of Chevak, was charged with the April 3 death of his infant son at his residence on the Fairbanks military post. He'll be tried at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma beginning Monday.

U.S. Army Alaska spokesperson John Pennell wrote in a Tuesday news release that in addition to being charged with the premeditated murder of his son, Ulroan faces charges for the alleged physical and sexual abuse of his wife "during their marriage," as well as on the night the child died.

The charges include kidnapping, three specifications of rape, two specifications of aggravated assault, five specifications of assault consummated by battery, simple assault and communicating a threat.

Pennell said in a phone interview that he could not provide additional details about the allegations.

"Unfortunately, we're limited by what we can say moving forward. The evidence will be presented by both sides during his court-martial down in Washington," he said.

Ulroan has remained in pretrial confinement since being charged in April, Pennell said. His court-martial was originally to be held in Alaska, but the venue was changed because the parties and judge handling the case are all in Washington.

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Since Ulroan's arrest more than six months ago, the military has released no new details. Army spokespersons at that time would not say who alerted law enforcement. Military police found the boy dead early the morning of April 4.

Police took Ulroan into custody after he was treated at a hospital for injuries sustained in the incident, but it remains unclear how the injuries happened.

Military courts-martial are public proceedings. Pennell said his office plans "on sending out, on the conclusion of the court-martial, as much information as we can."

Ulroan joined the Army in October 2008. He deployed to Iraq for three months and to Afghanistan for 11 months before being assigned to Fort Wainwright in December 2012.

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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