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If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can get confidential help by calling the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 800-656-4673 or the online line to visit.
The former girlfriend of the man accused of being Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén in 2020 pleaded guilty to charges related to the murder on Tuesday – closing a chapter in a saga that sparked a push to reform the military’s handling of sexual harassment within its ranks.
Cecily Ann Aguilar, 24, the only living suspect in Guillén’s murder, faces up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of false testimony and one count of aiding and abetting, news channel KWTX reported on Tuesday.
Aguilar faces the possibility of a $1 million fine and 12 years of supervised release after serving her sentence, according to KWTX.
Army Spc. Aaron David Robinson shot himself as police tried to arrest him in connection with Guillén’s murder. Authorities believe he killed Guillén after sexually molesting her. Aguilar was charged in connection with the murder, allegedly helping Robinson dismember and hide Guillén’s body.
“I comfort myself with the knowledge that she will be incarcerated for the rest of her life,” Mayra Guillén, Vanessa Guillén’s sister, told reporters in a Waco federal court after Aguilar filed her plea. “I hope she has time to sit down and reflect on what she did and how she impacted our lives.”
Guillén’s assassination sparked national outrage and calls for reform of the military justice system and action to tackle sexual harassment and violence within the military. Guillén, who was 20 when she was killed two years ago, twice reported being molested by Robinson before he allegedly killed her. Guillén was found in a shallow grave near Fort Hood. She had been beaten to death.
Last year, Congress passed legislation – dubbed the “I Am Vanessa Guillén Act” – that removes investigations into military sexual harassment and assault from the chain of command of military personnel and offers them protection from retaliation for reporting allegations, Part of a broader effort to give commanders less leverage over military justice.
The military justice system often works very differently from the civilian justice system. A unique analysis by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica showed that under a commander-controlled system, soldiers in the army accused of sexual assault are less than half as likely to be imprisoned prior to trial as, say, drug-related offenses.
