A Fort Hood veteran’s $10 million claim against the Army exposes a horrifying pattern of negligence that allowed a serial predator to attack at least five women in their barracks despite urgent safety warnings issued after the Vanessa Guillen murder.
Story Snapshot
- Former soldier Mayra Diaz filed a $10 million Federal Tort Claims Act claim against the Army on January 20, 2026, alleging negligence allowed Sgt. Greville Clarke to rape, waterboard, and strangle her in July 2022.
- Clarke attacked at least four other women between March 2021 and October 2022 at Fort Hood, exploiting unsecured barracks despite a 2020 independent review demanding urgent safety fixes following Vanessa Guillen’s murder.
- Army leadership withheld warnings about Clarke’s attacks from female soldiers to avoid “undue alarm,” only implementing security measures after Diaz’s assault while keeping troops in the dark about the serial predator in their midst.
- Clarke was convicted in April 2025 and sentenced to life for multiple violent crimes including rape and attempted murder before dying by apparent suicide in September 2025.
Army Ignored Urgent Safety Warnings After Guillen Murder
The December 2020 Fort Hood Independent Review Committee issued scathing findings that flagged a permissive environment for sexual assault at the Texas base. Commissioned after Specialist Vanessa Guillen’s brutal murder by a fellow soldier in April 2020, the review specifically criticized inadequate barracks access controls, poor lighting, and male intrusions on undressed women. Despite these urgent warnings demanding immediate action, Army leadership at Fort Hood failed to implement critical safety measures, creating the conditions that enabled Sgt. Greville Clarke’s 19-month reign of terror targeting vulnerable female soldiers.
Serial Predator Attacked Five Women in Unsecured Barracks
Clarke’s documented spree began March 16, 2021, when he entered a female soldier’s barracks room through a window armed with a knife and a threatening note. The victim escaped only after a FaceTime interruption. Over the following 18 months, Clarke attacked at least three additional women before assaulting 19-year-old Private Mayra Diaz on July 15, 2022. Clarke entered Diaz’s room masked and armed with a handgun, exploiting her trust when she saw his sergeant rank. He raped, waterboarded, and strangled her with a lamp cord before stealing personal items and leaving her semi-conscious for approximately 36 hours until friends discovered her on July 17.
Leadership Chose Silence Over Soldier Safety
Despite knowing about Clarke’s pattern of violent attacks, Fort Hood commanders made the calculated decision not to warn female soldiers about the serial predator operating in their barracks. Base officials justified this silence by claiming public warnings would cause “undue alarm” or compromise the ongoing investigation. This unconscionable choice prioritized bureaucratic concerns over the safety of young women serving their country. Diaz herself only learned about Clarke’s three previous attacks in 2025, just before his court-martial. This deliberate withholding of critical safety information directly contradicts the duty military leadership owes to those under their command and represents a fundamental betrayal of trust.
Negligence Claim Highlights Systemic Failures
Diaz’s attorney Christine Dunn emphasized that the attack was entirely preventable, calling it part of a “sexual violence crisis” and “epidemic” at Fort Hood and throughout the Army. The Federal Tort Claims Act filing details how Army leadership “persisted in failure” despite having clear evidence from the 2020 review and knowledge of Clarke’s prior attacks. After Diaz’s assault, the Army finally implemented security patrols, safety briefings, self-defense classes, and barracks inspections—measures that could have protected her and others if deployed when first recommended. Clarke’s fifth victim in October 2022 escaped naked, leading him to drop his cellphone and resulting in his arrest and confession to four prior attacks.
Broader Implications for Military Justice and Accountability
Clarke was convicted at court-martial in April 2025 on multiple counts including rape and attempted murder, receiving a life sentence before his apparent suicide in September 2025. This case exposes deep institutional problems that extend far beyond one predator or one base. The $10 million administrative claim, filed as a required step before a potential lawsuit, creates precedent for holding military leadership accountable when they ignore known threats to service members. For conservative Americans who value protecting those who protect us, this case represents an unconscionable failure of duty. Our military exists to defend American families and values, yet leadership failed to protect vulnerable young women from a known predator in their own barracks, prioritizing politics over people.
The claim now enters the administrative phase, with the Army’s response pending. Diaz’s pursuit of justice shines necessary light on systemic failures that betrayed multiple victims and demands the accountability that our service members deserve. The outcome may determine whether military leadership finally prioritizes soldier safety over institutional image management.
Sources:
Fort Hood predator barracks attacks – Stars and Stripes
Rape victim at Fort Hood files $10M legal complaint against US Army – Military.com
