Suspect’s girlfriend charged in Fort Hood soldier’s gruesome death

Posted at 8:09 PM, July 7, 2020 and last updated 4:22 PM, July 20, 2023

UPDATED 7/7/20

Cecily Ann Aguilar waived Tuesday’s video teleconference hearing, according to official court documents.

United States Magistrate Judge Jeffrey C. Manske appointed Aguilar with a federal public defender, Leis Berray Gainor.

Aguilar’s next hearing, preliminary/detention hearing, is scheduled for July 14, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. ET.

 

ORIGINAL STORY 7/2/20 ATLANTA (Court TV) A Killeen, Texas, woman faces federal charges in connection with the disappearance of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen, 20.

 

Cecily Ann Aguilar, 22, is the girlfriend of Aaron David Robinson, the suspect who took his own life after being interrogated by police for the murder of Guillen.

The criminal complaint charges Aguilar with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. According to the complaint, 20-year-old U.S. Army Specialist Aaron Robinson told Aguilar that he killed a female soldier by striking her in the head with a hammer while on Ft. Hood on April 22, 2020.

Robinson further admitted to Aguilar that he transferred the woman’s body off of Ft. Hood to a remote site in Bell County. Subsequently, Robinson enlisted the help of Aguilar in disposing of the dead female’s body.

The criminal complaint further alleges that at a later time Aguilar recognized the deceased, whom she helped Robinson mutilate and dispose of, as Vanessa Guillen. The remains found in Bell County have yet to be formally identified by authorities.

The complaint further states that earlier this week, Robinson shot and killed himself when confronted by police. Upon conviction, Aguilar faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. She remains in custody at this time awaiting her Initial Appearance in federal court in Waco.

Vanessa Guillen, Photo Courtesy: U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command

Vanessa Guillen was last seen April 22 in a parking lot on the base, where she was stationed. The soldier’s car keys, barracks room key, ID card and wallet were found in the room where she was working the day she disappeared.

Guillen’s sisters said at the news conference that they believe the Army is covering up details of her disappearance. Natalie Khawam, the Guillen family’s lawyer, says the family believes Guillen was sexually harassed by the military suspect and is calling for a congressional investigation.

Fort Hood investigators say there was no evidence of sexual harassment during their investigation.