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On Monday, August 14, Cecily Aguilar was sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection to the death of Vanessa Guillen, a United States Army soldier. Guillen was reportedly killed by Army Specialist Aaron Robinson in April 2022. After the slaying, Robinson killed himself with a handgun a few days before a charge against him was announced by prosecutors.
Trigger warning: This article concerns a murder-suicide. The reader's discretion is advised
Aguilar, who was identified as Robinson's girlfriend, helped the suspect dismember and burn the remains of Guillen. She has been accused of knowing about Robinson's plan to kill Vanessa Guillen. Following the discovery of Guillen's remains and subsequent charges, Aguilar pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder on November 29, 2022. She has also been accused of attempting to help Robinson cover up the crime scene.
Timeline of Vanessa Guillen's murder and Robinson's last hours before shooting himself
According to ABC, the alleged motive behind the killing of Vanessa Guillen can be traced to the army specialist's discovery of Aaron Robinson and Cecily Aguilar's affair. Since Aguilar was married to another soldier, both Robinson and she could be reprimanded for breaking army rules about relationship conduct.
On April 22, 2022, Aaron Robinson allegedly bludgeoned Vanessa Guillen to death in order to evade trouble for violating the Army’s fraternization rules. As noted by court documents, Robinson and Aguilar cooperated in disposing of Guillen's remains in the Leon River. On April 23, 2022, Guillen was officially reported missing by officials.
On June 30, 2022, officials discovered Guillen's remains in the Leon River. That same day, Aguilar supposedly implicated Robinson in the slaying, following which Robinson was detained by an unarmed soldier at Fort Hood under the pretext of violating COVID-19 protocols. Upon learning that Guillen's body had been discovered, he fled Fort Hood.
By July 1, 2022, Robinson had fled to Killeen, Texas. After local authorities tracked him down, the suspected killer reportedly shot himself with a handgun. As a result, Cecily Aguilar ended up being the only remaining suspect in the killing of the Fort Hood soldier.
Jaime Esparza, US Attorney for the Western District of Texas, discussed the importance of making a conviction in the slaying.
Esparza said:
"Our hope is that today's sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years. Ms. Aguilar's actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made."
As reported by News Week, prior to her death, Vanessa Guillen's time in the US Army was always riddled with issues. According to the family of the deceased soldier, she had been the victim of an assault by a superior. The family said that the US Army consistently ignored Guillen's individual needs, and only began to take action after she was killed.
