AUSTIN, Texas (AP) 鈥 A Texas woman was sentenced Monday to 30 years in prison for helping dispose of the body of a U.S. soldier, whose 2020 killing sparked a movement of women speaking out about sexual abuse in the military and led to changes in how they can report it.
Cecily Aguilar is the only suspect arrested in the death of Vanessa Guill茅n, who was killed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. Aguilar was 24 years old when she at a federal court in Waco, Texas, to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making a false statement.
The sentence came after hours of testimony from attorneys, experts and Guill茅n's family. It was the maximum punishment Aguilar could receive, said Jaime Esparza, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas.
鈥淥ur hope is that today鈥檚 sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guill茅n family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years," Esparza said.
Aguilar aided boyfriend Army Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, of Calumet City, Illinois, in dismembering and disposing of Guill茅n鈥檚 body in a rural, wooded area near the base, according to federal and state authorities. Robinson died by suicide on July 1, 2020, the day Guill茅n鈥檚 remains were found.
鈥淲e finally have closure in this case,鈥 said attorney Natalie Khawam, who represents Guill茅n's family.
A psychologist called as a witness for the defense testified Monday that Aguilar has reactive attachment disorder, meaning she did not form healthy emotional bonds with her parents or caregivers. Dr. Jon Matthew Fabian said the condition wouldn't keep Aguilar from knowing right or wrong.
Attorney Lewis Gainor, who represents Aguilar, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Guill茅n was declared missing in April 2020, when her family said they did not hear from her for an unusual amount of time after she was called in for a shift in the military base's armory room.
, Aguilar said she and Robinson 鈥 who authorities accuse of bludgeoning Guill茅n to death at the base 鈥 disposed of her body by mutilating it and hiding the remains in nearby woods.
Two weeks after Guill茅n's body was found, Aguilar pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges. Later, a judge dismissed her legal team's attempt to throw out her confession because she said she had not been read her Miranda rights at the time her statement was taken.
Guill茅n鈥檚 family has said they believe she was sexually harassed during her time at the Texas military base. While Army officials have said they do not believe Robinson harassed Guill茅n, they admitted in a report a year later that Guill茅n was harassed by another soldier at the base.
Following Guill茅n's death, her family's claims that she was harassed and assaulted at the Texas base ignited a movement on of former and active service members who shared their experiences at military bases throughout the country using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen.
Then-U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said during a visit to the Texas base that it had one of the in the Army, later adding that the patterns of violence were a direct result of " "
and lawmakers passed legislation in 2021 honoring Guill茅n that removed some authority from commanders and gave survivors more options to report abuse and harassment. Army officials commissioned and non-commissioned officers in connection with Guill茅n's death.
