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Woman who helped hide Vanessa Guillén’s body pleads guilty

The murder of Guillen, an Army specialist stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, prompted legal reforms to help and protect victims of sexual assault in the military.
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A Texas woman who helped mutilate and conceal the body of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillén pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday, prosecutors said.

Cecily Aguilar, 24, helped the man who killed Guillén dispose of her body and lied to investigators, the U.S. attorney’s office for Western Texas said in a statement.

Guillén, 20, an Army specialist, was last seen alive at Fort Hood, Texas, on April 22, 2020, and her dismembered remains were found around two months later.

The soldier who was suspected of killing Guillén, Spc. Aaron Robinson, fatally shot himself as police moved to arrest him. Authorities have said Aguilar was Robinson’s girlfriend.

Army Spec. Vanessa Guillen.
Army Spec. Vanessa Guillen.U.S. Army

Aguilar pleaded guilty Tuesday to a count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of false statement or representation, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Aguilar now faces up to 30 years in prison, to be decided by a judge under federal sentencing guidelines, the U.S. attorney's office said. A sentencing date has not been set.

Guillén's family said they were taken aback by Aguilar's decision to plead guilty. Aguilar was arrested on a federal charge in July 2020.

"So many motions that she’s filed in the past, for her to come and plead guilty now, it takes us completely by surprise," Mayra Guillén, Guillén’s older sister, told reporters outside court.

Attorneys listed as representing Aguilar did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday night.

Guillén's killing, and revelations that she had been sexually harassed by a supervisor but that unit leadership took no action, inspired legal reforms to help and protect victims of sexual assault in the military.

Key parts of the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act included making sexual harassment a standalone offense in the military code and moving prosecution decisions to an office of the chief prosecutor.

The reforms were passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law in December.