The only suspect arrested in connection with the 2020 murder of Vanessa Guillén at a Texas military base pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges including help dispose of the soldier’s body near Fort Hood.
Cecily Aguilar, 24, pleaded guilty in federal court in Waco, Texas, to one count of accessory to murder and three counts of making a false statement, according to the US Attorney’s Office. No sentencing date has yet been set, but Aguilar faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
According to federal and state authorities, Aguilar helped her boyfriend Army Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, of Calumet City, Illinois, kill, dismember, and dispose of Guillen’s body in the woods.Robinson died by suicide on July 1, 2020, the day Guillén’s remains were found.
“Cecily Aguilar’s guilty plea today was another step on the long road to justice for Vanessa, my client, and her brave family,” attorney Natalie Khawam, who represents the Guillén family, said in a statement.
Lewis Berray Gainor, Aguilar’s defense attorney, He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Guillén’s death and her family’s claims that she was harassed and assaulted on the Texas base sparked a movement on social media of former active duty service members who spoke about their own experiences using the hashtag #IAmVaessaGuillén. State and federal legislators passed a law in 2021 honoring Guillén that removed some of the authority of commanders and gave survivors more options to report.
Guillén had been declared missing since April 2020. According to a criminal complaint, Aguilar helped Robinson dispose of Guillén’s body after he beat her to death. Guillen’s family has said they believe Robinson sexually harassed her.
Aguilar, a civilian, later helped Robinson to mutilate and hide his bodyaccording to the authorities.
Two weeks after Guillen’s remains were found, Aguilar originally pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy. Authorities say Aguilar had confessed to him, and a judge dismissed an attempt by his defense team to dismiss the confession on the grounds that investigators did not first read Miranda’s rights.