Texas woman Cecily Aguilar has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for her role in the murder of US soldier Vanessa Guillén
The Texas woman who helped her then-boyfriend dismember and dispose of the body of US soldier Vanessa Guillén received 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to her role in the military base killing last year.
Cecily Aguilar, 25, received the maximum sentence for helping Army specialist Aaron Robinson, 20, hide Guillen’s body in the woods, prosecutors said Monday.
Guillén, 20, was killed in 2020 at Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas.
“We hope that today’s verdict brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family who have endured so much suffering over the past several years,” said US Attorney for the Western District of Texas Jaime Esparza a statement.
“MS. Aguilar’s actions were unjustifiable and she will now face the maximum penalty for the decisions she made.”
Robinson was accused of beating Guillén to death. He committed suicide after shooting himself on July 1, 2020, the day after Guillén’s body was found.
Aguilar pleaded guilty on November 29, 2022 to one count of subsequent aiding and abetting murder and three counts of false testimony.
In addition to hiding the body, Aguilar manipulated information on a Google account for Robinson and made four false statements to federal investigators, prosecutors say.
“We have finally closed this case,” said attorney Natalie Khawam, representing Guillén’s family.
Guillén was reported missing in April 2020. She’d been called to a shift at the base’s armory.
Army officials said Guillén was molested by another soldier last year before her death.
Army officials fined 21 officers and NCOs after an investigation into the scandal-plagued base sparked by Guillén’s death.
With post wires
