§ 553.47 Prohibition of interment, inurnment or memorialization in an Army Cemetery of persons who have committed certain crimes.

(a) Prohibition. Notwithstanding §§ 553.43 through 553.45, and pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 985 and 38 U.S.C. 2411, the interment or inurnment in an Army Cemetery of any of the following persons is prohibited: (1) Any person identified in writing to the Executive Director by the Attorney General of the United States, prior to his or her interment or inurnment as a person who has been convicted of a Federal capital crime and whose conviction is final (other than a person whose sentence was commuted by the President). (2) Any person identified in writing to the Executive Director by an appropriate State official, prior to his or her interment or inurnment as a person who has been convicted of a State capital crime and whose conviction is final (other than a person whose sentence was commuted by the Governor of the State). (3) Any person found under procedures specified in § 553.48 to have committed a Federal or State capital crime, but who has not been convicted of such crime by reason of such person not being available for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution. Notice from officials is not required for this prohibition to apply. (4) Any person identified in writing to the Executive Director by the Attorney General of the United States or by an appropriate State official, prior to his or her interment or inurnment as a person who has been convicted of a Federal or State crime causing the person to be a Tier III sex offender for purposes of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, who for such crime is sentenced to a minimum of life imprisonment and whose conviction is final (other than a person whose sentence was commuted by the President or the Governor of a State, as the case may be). (b) Notice. The Executive Director is designated as the Secretary of the Army's representative authorized to receive from the appropriate Federal or State officials notification of conviction of capital crimes referred to in this section. (c) Confirmation of person's eligibility. (1) If notice has not been received, but the Executive Director has reason to believe that the person may have been convicted of a Federal capital crime or a State capital crime, the Executive Director shall seek written confirmation from: (i) The Attorney General of the United States, with respect to a suspected Federal capital crime; or (ii) An appropriate State official, with respect to a suspected State capital crime. (2) The Executive Director will defer the decision on whether to inter, inurn, or memorialize a decedent until a written response is received. (d) Due diligence. Army Post Cemetery Superintendents and Commanders who have cemeteries for which they are responsible will make every effort to determine if the decedent is ineligible in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 985 and 38 U.S.C. 2411. For those determined ineligible due to the provisions of these sections, commanders will submit their determinations in writing to the Executive Director for validation.