People keep asking me how someone like Fernando Cota, a serial predator, a monster who destroyed families, ended up buried with honors in a veterans cemetery.

Here’s the hard truth:

Legally, the VA could bury him at the time.

But morally and ethically, they NEVER should have.

Everyone knew who he was.

His name was in every newspaper.

His crimes were sickening, public, and undeniable.

And yet the people trusted with protecting our sacred military cemeteries didn’t use judgment…

They didn’t use morality…

They didn’t use basic human decency.

They hid behind paperwork.

Cota had a DD-214, they stamped it, filed it, and buried a monster beside American heroes.

Not because he earned it.

Not because he deserved it.

But because the VA put procedure over honor.

That’s the real disgrace.

No law forced them to honor him.

They CHOSE not to question it.

They CHOSE not to stand on moral ground.

They CHOSE convenience over conscience.

And here’s what makes it even worse:

As I investigate deeper, I’m finding more cases in other national cemeteries, more violent criminals buried with honors, which raises an even bigger question:

👉 Why aren’t they being checked?

👉 How many slipped through because nobody cared enough to look?

Cota’s burial wasn’t an isolated mistake, it was a symptom of a system that failed to protect the dignity of our fallen.

That failure is exactly why Congress eventually changed the law, because tragedies like this exposed how broken the system was.

Heroes who sacrificed everything should NEVER be laid to rest next to rapists, serial killers, or predators.

Never again.

This isn’t just about my mother’s killer.

This is about protecting our heroes, our cemeteries, and the dignity of those who served with honor. 

S.1071 will finally remove Fernando Cota.

S.2807 (Teresa’s Law), The RESPECT Act, will make sure this NEVER happens again and ensure every criminal currently buried among our heroes is removed from ALL national cemeteries and veterans resting places.

If you agree it’s time to right these wrongs and prevent monsters from ever being honored again, sign the petition.