A Texas woman has been ordered to serve decades behind bars for her role in covering up the murder of a U.S. Army solider, KWTX-TV reports.
On Monday, a judge sentenced Cecily Aguilar to 30 years in prison for helping her boyfriend conceal the death of Army Spec. Vanessa Guillen, whose remains were found along a river in 2020.
Aguilar pleaded guilty last year to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of false making a false statement or representation.
Guillen, then 20 years old, was last seen alive in Fort Hood, Texas, on April 22, 2020. Her remains were found June 30, 2020, by crews working on a fence near the Leon River.
Federal authorities allege that another soldier, 20-year-old Aaron Robinson, beat Guillen to death with a hammer at Fort Hood and then sexually assaulted her body. Aguilar later helped Robinson dismember and burn Guillen’s remains.
Guillen’s face had been bludgeoned so severely that her teeth were smashed, with dental records barely providing adequate identification, according to investigators.
Robinson later killed himself as investigators closed in on him, according to KXAN-TV.
Jaime Esparza, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, said Aguilar’s sentencing will help bring some closure for Guillen’s family.
“Our hope is that today’s sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years,” Esparza said, according to KWTX-TV. “Ms. Aguilar’s actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made. I’m grateful for our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly on this case, as their dedication was essential in bringing this defendant to justice.”
Guillen’s loved ones spoke in court Monday before the sentence was handed down. Her mother, Gloria, talked about her daughter’s plans for life before it was taken away.
“I’m here for one reason, for my daughter because I feel pain in my heart, ” Gloria told the court, according to KWTX-TV. “She was a tremendous human being. She was a little girl with enthusiasm for life. She wanted to study, to get married, to have kids. We loved each other very much.”
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[Feature Photo: Cecily Aguilar; Bell County SO/Vanessa Guillen; Family Handout]
