Accused soldier taunted during basic training

A Fort Drum soldier charged Wednesday with stabbing to death her boyfriend was routinely taunted by other soldiers during basic training two years ago, which led to her being put under a suicide watch, according to a member of her training company.

Krista Marie Goley, 25, who is facing a second-degree manslaughter charge in the death of her live-in boyfriend, Timothy C. Rolland, 21, was required to sleep in a barracks hallway for about a week during her 2008 basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., so she could be watched constantly by a soldier on duty, said Diana Christine Lopez. Ms. Lopez said she was one of the soldiers assigned to watch over Ms. Goley.

"Her shoelaces were gone," Ms. Lopez said. "Usually, they take away their shoelaces when they were in danger of themselves."

In basic training, Spc. Goley was not the only soldier placed on suicide watch.

"This happened to a lot of girls in the platoon," Ms. Lopez said. She estimated two people in each of the company's four 30-person platoons also were observed.

Ms. Lopez and Ms. Goley were in C Company of the 2nd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment and didn't know each other well. They became friends when they attended advanced training at Fort Bliss, Texas, where they learned to drive trucks.

But even then, according to Ms. Lopez, soldiers — often female — teased Ms. Goley about her hygiene and large stature, and they told her they were amazed she had a son, who is now 5.

"If you teased her, she would respond in kind of an outlandish way," Ms. Lopez said. "She wouldn't let anything go."

Ms. Lopez, who eventually went AWOL and received a less than honorable discharge, also remembers Ms. Goley as a model soldier who was physically fit and took her training seriously.

"She was really into the military," Ms. Lopez said. "She didn't want anyone to talk to her when it was quiet time."

Ms. Goley then was stationed in South Korea, while her son lived with family in Illinois. In South Korea, she began dating Spc. Zachary R. Ward.

"We were just two lonely people," said the soldier, who is now stationed at Fort Bliss. "It went pretty good for the first few months."

They rarely argued, they never had a physical altercation, but he said he was aware of her past.

"She had a history of abusive relationships before," Spc. Ward said.

She got along with male soldiers, he said, but not the women. However, she had been written up by her supervisors for "stuff she said."

"She was kind of a rebel," Spc. Ward said. "She really didn't fit in with the Army."

After about five months, she broke off their relationship and began dating another soldier who, according to Spc. Ward, was "all right."

Spc. Goley was stationed at Fort Drum in June 2009 and was serving in the 3rd Battalion, 85th Infantry, Warrior Transition Unit, Fort Drum spokeswoman Julie A. Cupernall said.

A hip condition kept her on post while her original unit went to Afghanistan, Spc. Ward said.

He kept in phone contact with her, and last spoke with her about a month ago. He was disappointed to find out she had gotten back with Mr. Rolland, who had pleaded guilty to charges that he assaulted Ms. Goley on May 9 and spent about five weeks in jail.

"Something in her head told her that's the best she's going to have," Spc. Ward said.

Ms. Lopez said she is not surprised Ms. Goley had been a victim of domestic abuse.

"She seemed very vulnerable to ... being picked on," she said.