A Texas truck driver, Naasson Hazzard, was sentenced to life in prison on June 12, 2025, for the kidnapping and murder of Army veteran Caleigha Zangari last summer.
The crime: On August 15, 2024, cameras recorded Zangari entering Hazzard’s semi truck in Texas. She was not seen again until her body was found eight days later in a wooded area by Texas Highway 11, a plastic bag tied around her head.
- Investigators used cell phone records to track Hazzard’s movement from the original pickup to Pittsburg, Texas where the crime took place.
- Hazzard texted his boss about being sick after the incident, tried to cover his tracks by cleaning out his truck with bleach, destroyed evidence, and deleted the digital accounts showing his location.
- He also searched the internet for information about prison time for different degrees of murder, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Zangari, who served in Afghanistan, was an Army veteran and, according to her family, had faced tough times back in the U.S. before becoming a victim of sex trafficking.
Hazzard was convicted earlier this year, and his sentence means he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.