The attorney for the family of slain Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen revealed that Guillen was brutally murdered on duty in the armory room where she worked — at the hands of a fellow soldier.
The family’s attorney, Natalie Khawam, provided an exclusive interview to “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace,” during which she revealed the gruesome details of Guillen’s death, which she said the family learned from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID).
Khawam said Guillen learned that fellow soldier Aaron Robinson was having an affair with the estranged wife of another Fort Hood soldier. When Guillen confronted him in the armory room and said she had to report the wrongdoing, Robinson told her “no you’re not, you’re not going to ruin my career,” Khawam said.
Robinson then grabbed a nearby hammer and bludgeoned her in the head with it, Khawam said. He then placed her body in a Pelican case and removed it from the base with the help of Cecily Aguilar, the woman with whom he was having the affair.A witness later confirmed observing Robinson struggle to load a Pelican case into a car and leave Fort Hood on the day of Guillen’s disappearance.
Robinson and Aguilar attempted to destroy Guillen’s body by using a machete to dismember her, then attempted to burn her remains, and used cement and stones to hide her remains in a shallow grave in a wooded area near the Leon River.
“That girl, Cecily, she dismembered a U.S. soldier’s body. This is what ISIS does to our U.S. soldiers’ bodies,” Khawam said. “She did this and they just let her out on bail today – I want you all to know that. She should be hit with a terrorist act.”
Human remains presumed to be Guillen’s were found near the Leon River on Tuesday night. Officials said they still have not made a positive identification, but Guillen’s family said the remains were, in fact, Guillen’s.
At a Thursday afternoon press conference with officials from Fort Hood, Army CID and other local law enforcement agencies, the details of Guillen’s death were not revealed, but officials did confirm Robinson as a primary suspect in Guillen’s disappearance.
Army CID Special Agent Damon Phelps, the lead special agent investigating Guillen’s case, confirmed Robinson, a 20-year old Specialist assigned as an armorer with Alpha Company, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, was the primary suspect.
Robinson had fled Fort Hood late Tuesday, and when law enforcement approached him, he took out a gun and took his own life before he could be apprehended.
Phelps confirmed the second suspect was a civilian who is the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. He could not confirm her identity, but did say she is in jail awaiting charges.
Khawam had said on Wednesday that Guillen was being sexually harassed on base. Phelps, however, said authorities have not found any credible evidence of sexual harassment.
“We have no credible information or reports that Vanessa Guillen was sexually assaulted. We are not aware of any official reports of sexual harassment for Vanessa Guillen or on her behalf,” Phelps said on Thursday.
Fort Hood Senior Commander, Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt said that the base takes sexual harassment allegations seriously, and the base has asked for an external review to investigate potential sexual harassment or assault on the base
“Vanessa Guillen is a loss to all of us,” Efflandt said on Thursday. “She’s a part of our family.”
