Cecily Aguilar, 24, was married when she helped Army serviceman Aaron Robinson dispose of Vanessa Guillén‘s body

Murder happened at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas, on June 22, 2020

Facing a maximum of 30 years, $1M in fines and 12-year-parole, after admitting to her role in the crime, Aguilar was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday

US soldier Vanessa Guillén, 20, was beaten to death with a hammer and dismembered by fellow soldier Robinson after she discovered her killer was in a relationship with Aguilar

Aguilar was then married to another soldier and Robinson feared authorities would find out he was in breach of the fraternization rules

Cecily Aguilar helped Army Specialist Aaron Robinson hide Guillén‘s body, and lied to investigators that he was spending time with her at her home, at the time of the murder

Detained on the base after the victim’s body was discovered on June 30, Robinson escaped and killed himself before he could stand trial

Cecily Aguilar, [photo], admitted her part in disposing of Army specialist Vanessa Guillén, who was killed by her boyfriend at Fort Hood, Texas in 2020. She received a 30-year sentence on Monday.

A Texas woman has been jailed for 30 years after helping her boyfriend dispose of the body of US soldier Vanessa Guillen in 2020.
Cecily Aguilar, 24, was the only suspect arrested in the killing and dismemberment of Guillén, 20, who was killed at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas.
Guillen was last seen at Fort Hood on April 22, 2020, in the parking lot of her barracks. Authorities later said she was murdered by Aguilar’s boyfriend, army specialist Aaron Robinson, after she saw a photo of the Aguilar’s on his phone.
He allegedly then told Guillén that ‘he was worried about getting in trouble for violating the Army’s fraternization rules since Aguilar was still married to another soldier and he hit Guillen in the head with a hammer,’ investigators said.
Aguilar, who was married to another soldier, helped Robinson dispose of Guillén’s dismembered body after he bludgeoned her to death, burying her remains in a rural area, 23 miles from the base.
When questioned Aguilar initially claimed she was at home with Robinson the night Guillén disappeared. She later recanted and confessed to being there after Guillén’s body was found.

Victim: Police said Guillén, [photo], was bludgeoned to death and her dismembered remains buried by Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, who was assisted by Aguilar

Robinson committed suicide on the day Guillén’s body was found, after escaping officers who had detained him for her murder.  He was the last person to speak to his missing colleague, despite telling cops that she was in the arms room when he left to be with Aguilar, who backed up his claim.  
Investigators later discovered that Robinson’s phone pinged in Belton, Texas, by a bridge near the Leon River in the early morning hours shortly after Guillen vanished. Getting to that location, investigators found a burn pile, including a tough box, an item Guillen had been seen with earlier.
Investigators noted that Robinson and Aguilar shared multiple phone calls the night of Guillén’s disappearance, which Aguilar said was because she couldn’t find her phone. 
Guillén was declared missing on April 22, 2020 when her family did not hear from her after she went to work for a shift in the military base’ armory room. The Army designated her as AWOL two days after she vanished. 
Her disappearance sparked a large-scale search, but her dismembered and buried remains were not found until June 30 at Leon River, 23 miles from where she was last seen. 
She was sentenced Monday, to 30 years in prison for her part in the crime
Aguilar’s sentence came after hours of testimony from attorneys, experts and Guillén’s family, and was the maximum punishment Aguilar could receive.
After she was arrested, she waived her right to a trial and pled guilty in November, to a single count of accessory to murder and three counts of making false statements. She was facing up to 30 years in prison, along with a $1 million fine and a 12-year parole after serving her time. 

Protesters seek justice for Vanessa Guillén whose death inspired attempt to change military code

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.
But Doctor Jon Matthew Fabian said the condition wouldn’t keep Aguilar from knowing right or wrong.
Jaime Esparza, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, said: ‘Our hope is that today´s sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillén family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years.
Natalie Khawam, the attorney for Guillén’s family said, ‘We finally have closure in this case,’

Killer: Army specialist Aaron Robinson, [photo], who killed his fellow soldier, Vanessa Guillén, after she saw a photo implicating him in an affair with another soldier’s wife, committed suicide before he could stand trial

The criminal complaint stated that Aguilar said that she and Robinson disposed of Guillen’s body by dismembering her and hiding her remains in the woods. Robinson, it states bludgeoned Guillen to death at the base before asking Aguilar for her help to dispose of her body.
On June 30, hours after investigators discovered Guillén’s dismembered body, Army officials arrested Robinson. He was detained at Fort Hood.
He escaped and was later spotted by Army and civilian police in the city of Killeen, just outside of Fort Hood. Before he could be taken into custody, he turned his gun on himself.

Robinson’s accomplice Aguilar, pled not guilty to conspiracy charges two weeks after Guillén’s body was found.
Her attorney’s attempts to throw out her confession with the claim that she had not been read her Miranda rights at the time her statement was taken, but was dismissed by the judge.
Guillén´s family has said they believe she was sexually harassed during her time at the Texas military base.
Army officials said they did not believe Robinson harassed Guillén. In a that appeared a year later, the Army admitted that Guillén was harassed by another soldier at the base.

US serviceman Vanessa Guillén, [photo], last seen in the parking lot at Fort Hood on April 22, 2020, vanished after telling her family that she had been sexually harassed. Her killing sparked a movement of reporting sexual abuse in the military

After her death, her family’s claims of sexual harassment at the Texas base ignited a movement on social media 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 observed during a visit to the Texas base that it had one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army. The pattern of violence was a direct result of ” leadership failures, ” McCarthy said
Twenty one commissioned and non-commissioned officers faced disciplinary action by the Army, including dismissals, in connection with Guillén’s death.