A woman was sentenced to three decades in prison on Monday for her role in disposing of the body of murdered U.S. soldier Vanessa Guillen.
Cecily Aguilar, 25, pleaded guilty last November to one count of accessory to murder and three counts of making a false statement. She received the maximum sentence for her crimes.
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“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,” U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Jaime Esparza said. “Ms. Aguilar’s actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made. I’m grateful for our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly on this case as their dedication was essential in bringing this defendant to justice.”
Aguilar assisted Army Spc. Aaron Robinson in destroying and mutilating Guillen’s body to help him hide the murder. She also altered and destroyed information in Robinson’s Google account and made four false statements to federal investigators, per the Department of Justice.
Federal authorities initially filed a criminal complaint against Aguilar in July 2020, which alleged that Robinson told her he had killed a female soldier by striking her with a hammer while on Fort Cavazos military base, formerly Fort Hood, in Texas, on April 22, 2020. He then brought the body to a site in Bell County, Texas, and enlisted Aguilar to help him dispose of her body.
“Subsequently, Robinson enlisted the help of Aguilar in disposing of the dead female’s body,” the Department of Justice said when federal charges against Aguilar were first announced. “The complaint further alleges that at a later time Aguilar recognized the deceased, whom she helped Robinson mutilate and dispose of, as Vanessa Guillen.”
Robinson fatally shot himself when confronted by police in July 2020, the day Guillen’s remains were found.
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Following her murder, Guillen’s family said she had been harassed and assaulted previously. Her initial disappearance and subsequent death brought increased awareness to the poor treatment female service members often have to endure in the military, which has long been a problem.
Fourteen Army leaders at the base were fired or suspended for leadership failures following the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee’s report that revealed they had fostered a “toxic culture” at the base.
