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On Tuesday, November 29, 24-year-old Cecily Aguilar pleaded guilty to her role in the murder of Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old Fort Hood army specialist. Her remains were discovered near the Leon River in Bell County, Texas, in June 2020.
As per NBC, Vanessa Guillen was last seen alive by fellow soldiers in Fort Hood on April 22, 2020. Two months after her body was discovered, Texas authorities implicated Army Specialist Aaron Robinson in the murder. Robinson's girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, was accused of helping him dismember and dispose of Guillen's body.
Cecily Aguilar was arrested in July 2020. CNN reported that Aguilar eventually led Texas authorities to Robinson's location. However, before his arrest, the homicide suspect fatally shot himself.
Cecily Aguilar confessed to helping Robinson hide the body
As stated by People News, before the murder, Vanessa Guillen had made several complaints of harassment towards supervisors, only for them to ignore them. In court, Guillen's family members claimed that Robinson had killed the 20-year-old in order to suppress the allegations.
Texas authorities believe that sometime after April 22, 2020, Aaron Robinson murdered Guillen with a hammer in her workplace in the armory room of Fort Hood.
As per a Criminal Complaint, Cecily Aguilar told officers that in the aftermath of the slaying, Robinson had placed Guillen's body in a storage case. Later that night, the late suspect allegedly returned to the site of the body in order to dispose it.
Cecily Aguilar confessed to her role in attempting to destroy the evidence, stating that she and Robinson took Guillen's body to an area near the Leon River, where they dismembered it and attempted to light it on fire. She then confessed to helping Robinson hide the body parts in three different holes.
According to ABC, Vanessa Guillen's sister, Mayra Guillen, reacted to Aguilar's guilty plea with shock.
Mayra Guillen said:
"I'm very taken back by (Aguilar's) decision. There's still a lot of mixed emotions. Both angry and frustration. Now, we have to wait for the actual sentencing. I'm glad that we're going to have the opportunity to speak in front of the judge, and in front of her. Of course, and hear what she has to say."
Vanessa Guillen's family attorney, Natalie Khawam, also commented on the case.
She said:
“Cecily Aguilar’s guilty plea today was another step on the long path toward justice for Vanessa, my client, and her courageous family. We knew she was guilty but her admission provides some closure for Vanessa’s family & friends, which they deserve."
CNN reported that Cecily Aguilar's sentencing date has not yet been set. She may face up to 30 years in prison. The Guillen family has also filed a $35 million lawsuit against the US Government on the basis that army supervisors ignored the 20-year-old's harassment accusations, indirectly leading to her death.
