Woman Who Helped Hide Soldier's Body Gets 30 Years

UPDATE Aug 14, 2023 6:15 PM CDT

A Texas woman was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for helping dispose of the body of a US soldier, whose 2020 killing sparked a movement of women speaking out about sexual abuse in the military. Cecily Aguilar was the only suspect arrested in the death of Vanessa Guillen, who was killed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas, the AP reports. Aguilar pleaded guilty in November to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making a false statement. Aguilar aided boyfriend Army Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, in dismembering and disposing of Guillen's body in a rural, wooded area, according to federal and state authorities. Robinson died by suicide on July 1, 2020, the day Guillen's remains were found.

Oct 21, 2020 10:10 AM CDT

The family of murdered Ford Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen is entitled to military benefits, according to the US Army, which has classified Guillen's death as occurring "in the line of duty." The 20-year-old soldier disappeared from an armory at the Texas base on April 22. Her family's lawyer has said Army investigators determined fellow soldier Aaron David Robinson attacked Guillen with a hammer in the armory, which was "splashed" with her blood. Guillen had planned to file a harassment complaint against Robinson, who may have become enraged when she told him, per CNN. Robinson, 20, shot and killed himself when officers encountered him on July 1. Guillen's body had been found about 30 minutes from Fort Hood the previous day, per USA Today.

Robinson's girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, 22, is charged with helping Robinson dismember and dispose of Guillen's body, which is thought to have been taken from the base in a weapons case, per the Austin American-Statesman. A hearing is set for Nov. 30. In a statement, the Army says Guillen's family is "entitled to a variety of Army benefits for Vanessa's service to our nation," which typically include "compensation to immediately help the family with expenses, funeral with full military honors, the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, and final pay and allowances." This follows introduction of the "I Am Vanessa Guillen Act," a bipartisan House bill that aims to make sexual harassment punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and transfer prosecution of sexual assault and harassment cases away from the military, per CNN. (More Vanessa Guillen stories.)