The remains of Fernando Cota, a convicted rapist and alleged serial killer, buried at a Texas military cemetery since his 1984 suicide, will be removed under a new federal law signed by President Donald Trump, following advocacy from a victim’s family and Texas senators.

The legislation, included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 and signed in late December, directs the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, where he lies among more than 170,000 veterans and their families.

“Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery is a sacred resting place for more than 170,000 respected veterans and their loved ones, and it would be a slap in the face to each one of them to allow Fernando Cota, a convicted rapist and alleged serial murderer, to remain buried amongst such heroes,” U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said in a statement.

The Texas Republican introduced the bill with co-sponsor U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, also of Texas.

“A convicted rapist should not be buried with honor among our nation’s heroes,” Cruz said, CHRON reported. 

The effort stemmed from an online petition by the son of one of Cota’s victims, which garnered over 900 signatures.

“His name is a stain on the legacy of those who fought for freedom. Cota’s body has no right to be among the heroes — he is a disgrace to every fallen soldier,” the petition stated. “Veterans do not deserve to have their legacy stained by the presence of this monster.”

Cota, drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War, faced multiple sexual assault allegations after returning home. He was convicted in 1975 of binding and raping a nurse, receiving a 20-year sentence.

Paroled after eight years in 1983, Cota was stopped for erratic driving a year later. He told officers he was a “very sick man” before shooting himself.

Police found the body of 21-year-old Kim Marie Dunham, missing since the previous day, in a wooden box in his van.

A search of his home revealed a small closet used as a torture chamber with fingerprints on the walls, fake IDs, a false police badge, women’s blouses and shoes, and tenant advertisements, which the suspect allegedly posted at San Jose State University to lure students to his home.

Investigators identified Costa as the prime suspect in the strangulation, stabbing, or beating deaths of six women.

Current law under 38 U.S. Code § 2411, enacted in 1984, prohibits such burials, but it did not apply retroactively to Cota.

No date has been set for the exhumation, expected sometime in 2026.