Murder of Vanessa Guillén

Vanessa Guillén, 20, of Houston, Texas, joined the United States Army in June 2018 and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, where she worked as a small arms and artillery repairer. She was last seen around 1:00 p.m. on April 22, 2020, in the parking lot of her unit. Her keys, identification, bank card, and barracks key were later found inside the armory where she worked, raising concern among her family that she had not left voluntarily.

Guillén had told family members that she was being sexually harassed by a superior at Fort Hood but did not file an official report, fearing retaliation. Her disappearance prompted a lengthy investigation involving the Army Criminal Investigation Command, the FBI, and multiple local and state agencies, along with public protests at Fort Hood in June 2020 and reward offers totaling $50,000 from the Army and the League of United Latin American Citizens.

On June 30, 2020, private contractors discovered partial human remains buried along the Leon River in Belton, Texas. Investigators determined the remains belonged to Guillén. That evening, Cecily Aguilar, who was identified as the girlfriend of soldier Aaron David Robinson, told investigators that Robinson had confessed to killing a female soldier at Fort Hood. During a monitored phone call, Robinson told Aguilar, "Baby, they found pieces," without denying the news reports she sent him. According to a federal criminal complaint, Aguilar said Robinson bludgeoned Guillén to death with a hammer inside the armory and that she helped him dismember and dispose of the body afterward.

Robinson escaped the custody of an unarmed guard on the evening of June 30 after learning that remains had been found, and fled Fort Hood. Early on July 1, 2020, Killeen police located him; he fatally shot himself before he could be taken into custody.

Aguilar was arrested by Texas Rangers and later charged federally. On July 2, 2020, she was charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. On July 13, 2021, a federal grand jury indicted her on eleven counts. On November 29, 2022, she pleaded guilty to accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making false statements. On August 14, 2023, she was sentenced to the maximum of 30 years in prison for her role in concealing Guillén's murder.

A subsequent Army investigation, announced on December 8, 2020, disciplined 14 commanders and other leaders at Fort Hood, citing "leadership failures" and finding a "permissive environment for sexual assault and sexual harassment" at the installation. Guillén's case prompted the passage of Texas's Vanessa Guillén Act in 2021 and the federal "I Am Vanessa Guillén Act," enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Biden in late December 2021, changing how the military investigates and prosecutes sexual harassment claims.