They called local sheriffs out to the area; the Texas Rangers and Fort Hood CID soon followed. Vanessa Guillen was a private first class, so he technically ranked above her, though she was about to also become a specialist. They seek $10 million for wrongful death and $25 million for personal injury. Watch the Guillen familys news conference below, courtesy of CBS Dallas-Fort Worth. That brought me a bit of peace to my heart. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. So I went back outside and I walked to the parking lot, and I saw her Jeep there. Hightower planned to go hiking with Guillen on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, the day she went missing. I would truly wish to have her here than any of this, but this is where we are today.. We believe Robinson could have made up that story to Aguilar because he needed help burying her body, Khawam said. "We been knowing since when it first happened because nothing makes sense. "Memories never die," he said. Damon Phelps, the lead investigator for the military, claimed that the alleged killer, She said Army investigators rarely contacted the family before releasing information. Robinson died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound when approached by law enforcement on Tuesday, according to Killeen police. And there was none," Martin said. Robinson fatally shot himself July 1 when authorities confronted him off post,Killeen policesaid. A Texas woman accused of helping mutilate and dispose of the body of a Fort Hood soldier who vanished this spring was charged Thursday, authorities said. The Army's Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Forces Command.Maj. [Image via Army Criminal Investigative Command], Have a tip we should know? She told investigators that she and Robinson were together the entire night on April 22. They then placed the remains back in the three holes with the concrete, the complaint alleged. Phelps said investigators are aware Guillen's family members made statements early on to the media concerning sexual harassment allegations. I Am Vanessa Guillen: Everything You Need to Know - Netflix We keep demanding a congressional investigation! She is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Waco early next week. More:Civilian searcher says Army overlooked evidence after Vanessa Guillen's death Investigators suspect a fellow soldier, Spc. Khawam said the family revealed those allegations to investigators late last month. The announcement comes a day after Natalie Khawam, attorney for the Guillen family, said they believe that the remains found in Bell County are Guillen's. And I just dropped my phone and it was just like everything came to an end," she said. After police issued a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert for Robinson in July, Robinson fled and killed himself as police approached.Police arrested his girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, who told police that Robinson had killed Guilln with a hammer in an armory room on base and enlisted her help to bury her body in April. That's below him? Investigators spoke to over 300 soldiers in Vanessa Guillen's unit, including Hightower. They were like, 'Maybe you did go hiking with her, and maybe you did actually rape her and leave her out there. Aguilar was charged in federal court with conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Emailus. Investigators discovered human remains which had been buried and covered in concrete. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Army CID, Texas Rangers and Bell County sheriffs first searched the Leon River site on June 21. Guillen never returned and the witness recalled locking up the armory for the day with her ID card, bank card, car keys and barracks key still left inside. Aguilar purchased a bag of what she referred to as concrete from someone through Facebook messenger. Guillns murder has become a rallying cry for women veterans and service members who have faced sexual assault and harassment in their military careers. / CBS Chicago. "Sometimes we'll go run, like, 3 miles or a few miles. We were kind of aware [of] what was going on," Landy said. Many of the details of how investigators say Guillen was killed and dismembered were first reported by Army Times on Thursday. Robinson, who had been in the Army since 2017, worked in the same Regimental Engineer Squadron as Guillen. "It's one of the biggest military reforms in history," Vanessa Guillen's other sister, Lupe Guillen, said. She was being held without bail. And she said no. Authorities said that 20-year old Aaron David Robinson of Calumet City pulled a gun and shot himself as police were trying to make contact with him on Wednesday. Nicole Acevedo is a reporter for NBC News Digital. Two days later, the military opened up a separate inquiry looking into allegations that Guillen was sexually harassed by a supervisor. A lifetime, Gloria said. The findings of the committee identified major flaws with the sexual harassment and assault response prevention (SHARP) program at the base, fundamental issues with Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Command field office activities, and a command climate at Fort Hood that was permissive of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Lupe Guillen, the sister of Spc. Hightower said that at around 10 p.m., he found out that the last person she'd worked with in the arms room was Spc. When asked about why it took two hours to track him down, and how Robinson got a gun, LaBoeuf said "We want answers to that too. If convicted, Aguilar faces up to 20 years in federal prison. ", Betavious "Tay" Hightower was another one of Guillen's "closest friends," he said. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has yet to personally call and offer condolences to the family of Spc. Last year, Army Maj. Gen. Donna Martin told "20/20" that investigators had found that Guillen had reported to her work station in the motor pool that morning. The suspect was identified as Specialist Aaron David Robinson, 20, of Illinois who joined the Army in October 2017 as a combat engineer, officials said at a press conference. Aaron Robinson, 20, dispose of Spc. Gloria said she believes her prayers healed Vanessa. At around 10 p.m., he was heard talking on the phone, apparently to his mother, saying "don't believe what you hear about me." On May 18, two witnesses said that on the day of Guillens disappearance, they observed Robinson pulling a large tough box,' with wheels, that appeared very heavy out of the armory where he worked. Slain Fort Hood soldier was sexually harassed, but not by In an April 28 interview, Robinson allegedly claimed that he went home after work on the 22nd to the residence he shared with Aguilar, his girlfriend. He joined the Army in October 2017, training as a 12B, Combat Engineer. In the calls, Robinson didn't deny anything. And they were just trying to see my reaction.". It is claimed that he did so after she found out he was having an affair with a married woman, Cecily Aguilar, when she saw a picture of the woman on his phone. Vanessa Guillen suffered mental anguish, fear, emotional distress, physical injury, and death as a result of sexual harassment, rape, sodomy, and physical assault., Nothing is going to bring her back, Vanessas sisterMayra Guillen said, according to KHOU. "I got a call from CID on June 30th," Mayra Guillen said. Guillen, 20, was stationed at Fort Hood when she went missing on April 22. ", "We were in my car at the time," Landy said, "and we went to the track that she usually would be at, just in case she didn't really wanna talk to anybody and wanted to get stuff off her mind. "I said, 'Vanessa's been found,'" he remembered. More:Civilian searcher says Army overlooked evidence after Vanessa Guillen's death. The Army said Wednesday they promoted Private First Class Guillen, 20, to specialist due to her time in service. "[The] first error was with respect to eye witness reports," LeBoeuf said. She questioned the Army's conclusion that Robinson did not harass Vanessa Guillen. They later burned the clothes they were wearing during the process at their home. Damon Phelps of the CID, the Army's primary criminal investigative organization, told reporters that Aguilar is the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. Khawam said she was told a third suspect was detained. "[Robinson] was like, 'Oh, I kept it professional; didn't say too much to her.' "We believe he murdered her because he was going to report him. Robinson, who fled his post at Fort Hood Tuesday, shot and killed himself as officers moved in to arrest him late Tuesday night in Killeen, Texas, according to officials. Army Criminal Investigation Command investigators sat down with the Guillen family the day of Robinsons death and told them the 20-year-old soldier killed Guillen because she had seen a photo of Aguilar on his phone, recognized her as a woman married to another Fort Hood soldierand threatened to report his affair, according to Khawam. Nearly 40,000 infantrymen, cavalrymen, tankers, engineers, mechanics and health care professionals work at Fort Hood, which is nicknamed Great Place.. Guillen's loved ones say she had always been a fitness fanatic. Every minute that passes is killing me inside, slowly.". I was just checking, but nothing. A criminal complaint filed against Aguilar accuses her of tampering with evidence, including Guillens body, on April 23 and 26 to impair its integrity and availability for use in an official proceeding., Though the family believes Robinson killed Guillenand the allegations that Aguilar helped bury her remains, Khawam said, the story of how Robinson killed Guillen, moved her body and cleaned up the crime scene all while on a military post without an accomplice or being found out sooner does not make sense.. Robinson and his girlfriend allegedly tried to destroy and conceal Guillens body, according to the attorney. Robinson fatally shot himself July 1 when authorities confronted him off post, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Robinson was confined to his barracks around the time of the discovery, but he fled and died by suicide, authorities said. ", Authorities said the investigation on Guillen's disappearance remains ongoing and that they will continue to be careful about the information being shared in order to avoid "an impact on prosecution and charges.". The "I Am Vanessa Guillen" bill, would explicitly list sexual harassment as a crime in military law, require the secretary of defense to establish a process for servicemembers to lodge a complaint confidentially and move the decision of whether to prosecute a sexual offense to an special prosecutor outside the chain of command. Just why?" Landy said he grabbed his keys and the two went out searching "almost around the whole base. ", Landy said Robinson acted "upset" that everybody kept "blowing up his phone.". However subsequent interviews have failed to [confirm] this allegation," Phelps said. The familyquestioned how Robinson could have killed the soldier, stashed her ina case, cleaned up the blood and toted her body off base without being found out. In addition to finding remains at the Leon River, officials also recovered the remains of another Fort Hood soldier, Pvt. ", WATCH: Vanessa Guillen: Remember Her Name. McCarthy on July 10 announced after meeting with Democrat Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX) and the activist group League of United Latin American Citizens that he has directed an independent, comprehensive reviewof the command climate and culture at Fort Hood, as well as the surrounding military community.. She never deployed overseas but was awarded the Army Commendation Medal (posthumously), the National Defense Service Ribbonand the Army Service Ribbon. Robinson and Aguilar uncovered the remains, removed them and burned them again along with their gloves and hairnets. The last time she texted me was that morning, and she just sent a screenshot with the weather. The Guillen sisters in unison agreed that the investigators explanation was wrong. She was murdered, inside one of the Army's largest military installations. The remains of Spc. Aaron David Robinson, 20, who had allegedly walked in on Guillen while she was showering in a locker room and watched. Robinson and Guillen were both members of the 3rd Cavalry Regiments engineer squadron, though they were assigned to different troops. "This gruesome murder should never have happened.". If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Gloria Guillen said that after learning of her daughters death, she was brought back to her prayer to God when Vanessa was just 15 days old. After two days, the Army officially marked Vanessa Guillen as AWOL, or absent without official leave. He acknowledged that agents uncovered statements on May 7 that could be considered sexual harassment. "I knew something was wrong because I'd check her social media," Cruz said. Republication or distribution of this content is "So he can murder her but he wouldn't sexually harass her. KILLEEN, Texas (CBS) -- A Calumet City soldier was the main suspect in the murder of fellow soldier Vanessa Guillen, CBS 2 has learned.

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