The Texas woman who helped her then-boyfriend dismember and dispose of US soldier Vanessa Guillén’s body received 30 years in prison after she pleaded guilty for her role in the Army base slaying 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 at Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas in 2020.
“Our hope is that today’s sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years,” US Attorney for the Western District of Texas Jaime Esparza said in a statement.
“Ms. Aguilar’s actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made.”
Robinson was accused of bludgeoning Guillén to death. He died by suicide after shooting himself on July 1, 2020 – the day after Guillén’s body was found.
Aguilar pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of false statement representation on Nov. 29, 2022.
In addition to concealing the body, Aguilar tampered with information on a Google account for Robinson and also made four false statements to federal investigators, prosecutors said.
“We finally have closure in this case,” said attorney Natalie Khawam, who represents Guillén’s family.
Guillén was reported missing in April 2020. She had been called in for a shift in the military base’s armory room.
Army officials said last year Guillén was sexually harassed by another soldier before her death.
Army officials punished 21 commissioned and non-commissioned officers following a probe into the scandal-plagued base that was sparked by Guillén’s death.
With Post wires
