", "On my way there, I was just crying because I couldn't understand it," Mayra Guillen said. Aaron David Robinson, 20, who had allegedly walked in on Guillen while she was showering in a locker room and watched. We went to the motor pool [to] see if maybe she got locked in.". The two worked together to burn the body, dismember it, mix the parts with concrete and bury the remains in three holes, the filing added. We are going to love each other all our lives. Robinson fatally shot himself July 1 when authorities confronted him off post, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. As a matter of policy, the Army does not comment on ongoing litigation, U.S. Army spokesman Sgt. KILLEEN, Texas (CBS) -- A Calumet City soldier was the main suspect in the murder of fellow soldier Vanessa Guillen, CBS 2 has learned. Aaron David Robinson, 20, died by suicide Wednesday morning as investigators were closing in. The Calumet City native entered the Army in October 2017 and was a combat engineer. It said it was gonna rain.". Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, Allie Yang, Denise Martinez-Ramundo, Natalie Cardenas, and Chris Kilmer. U.S. Army officials at Fort Hood today said that there is no evidence that a male soldier who killed himself this week to avoid police capture sexually assaulted 20-year-old Spc. Sheconfided to her family that it was Robinson. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly. Fort Hood Soldier Vanessa Guillen's family obtains Gloria Guillen said she saw her daughters health progressively deteriorate over the months leading up to her disappearance, saying her normally muscular and vibrant daughter became thin and reserved. Cowboys Miss On Kicker; Sign Gould? Jerry Reveals Plan Guillen's Army friends weren't the only ones worried about her disappearance. He was hospitable with us, very generous with his time, compassionate and empathetic with the family and me in the Oval Office of the White House.. She said she begged her daughter to tell her what was wrong. Nearly 40,000 infantrymen, cavalrymen, tankers, engineers, mechanics and health care professionals work at Fort Hood, which is nicknamed Great Place.. After police issued a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert for Robinson in July, Robinson fled and killed himself as police approached. Aguilar helped authorities pinpoint his location so that he could be arrested. Several media outlets on Thursday, however, identified the woman as Cecily Anne Aguilar, a 22-year-old Killeen resident. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Those claims even sparked a viral hashtag called #IamVanessaGuillen on social media, which many soldiers have used to share their stories of sexual harassment and assault on military installations. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto "There was one time they brought me in and they were asking questions: have I ever found her attractive, and have I ever tried her? Meanwhile, Natalie Khawam, an attorney for the Guillen family claimed to the Army Times in a report published Thursday that Guillen was killed by Robinson while she was on duty in the armory room at Fort Hood. Where is Vanessa Guillens Family Now? - The Cinemaholic "However, all sexual harassment allegations are being investigated, as they are in every other instance.". "That entrance leads to [the] 3rd Calvary Regiment," Lupe Guillen said. She was caring and respectful and always used to joke about everything. He was questioned within two days of the criminal investigationHe was questioned very early on in this process.". Robinson harassed Spc. In an interview with KXXV, a local television station in Killeen, Cruz said, "She was just gone, so she just disappeared. ", WATCH: Vanessa Guillen: Remember Her Name. Just why?" As an infant, Vanessa wasintubated,clinging to life at a hospital. Family Investigators spoke with Robinson, who said that Vanessa Guillen had left his arms room after completing a task. ", "We were in my car at the time," Landy said, "and we went to the track that she usually would be at, just in case she didn't really wanna talk to anybody and wanted to get stuff off her mind. Gruesome details in report show The Guillens said that instead of mourning their loss with family and friends, they plan to grieve in front of cameras and film crews until they believe justice has been served. At first they tried to set her on fire, but she wouldnt burn. More:Civilian searcher says Army overlooked evidence after Vanessa Guillen's death. Vanessa Guilln, a 20-year-old soldier murdered in April at Fort Hood, the familys lawyer told Breitbart News on Wednesday. The family deserves these answers.". Spc. Investigators brought a cadaver dog, which signaled that a body might have been thrown in the water. Judge declines to silence family of slain Fort Hood soldier - KWTX This week the 9th Circuit held that sexual assault is not incident to service, and therefore the Feres Doctrine should not apply to service members who are sexually assaulted.. "I was like, 'Man, I hopefully [will] see a tweet or something. The soil beneath the burn site was remarkably softer and moister than the soil found at similar depths merely feet away and had an odor of decomposition, the complaint reads. I wasnt there, they didnt tell me! Slain Fort Hood soldier was sexually harassed, but not by Where is it? Phelps said investigators are aware Guillen's family members made statements early on to the media concerning sexual harassment allegations. The #IAmVanessaGuillen hashtag made its way to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Robinson died by suicide Aaron David Robinson, 20, who had allegedly walked in on Guillen while she was showering in a locker room and watched. Investigators kept Robinson under watch in a conference room for hours at Fort Hood but didn't tell him why. The family has called repeatedly for a congressional investigation, not an Army-directed investigation, however. On July 30, Khawam and the family will push for a law to allow a third-party investigative team to look into reports of sexual harassment within the military. Gloria Guillen said that after learning of her daughters death, she was brought back to her prayer to God when Vanessa was just 15 days old. Robinson attacked Guillen with a hammer, Khawam alleges, citing information she says was provided to her by Army Criminal Investigation Command officials. Khawam said she was told Robinson and his unnamed girlfriend were having an affair and that he called the woman to confess he had killed Guillen with a hammer. But Khawam publicly announced what U.S. army officials told the family after the remains were located, according to Army Times. Guillen, 20, were found near the Leon River in Bell County in late June,nearly three months after she was last heard from while working inside an armory room at Fort Hood. Lupe Guilllen, 16, Vanessas sister, said the fight is not over until the Army stops telling lies and gives the family answers. "She didn't talk to too many people," Landy told "20/20." Aaron David Robinson, 20, beat Guillen to death with a hammer on April 22, 2020 in Fort Hood, Texas. Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Goodnight,'" he said. The team also is charged with identifying any potentially systemic issues with the SHARP program at Fort Hood, as well as any resource constraints.. "The criminal investigation has not found any connection between sexual harassment and Vanessa's disappearance," Maj. Scott Efflandt, deputy commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said. They arrived after midnight and Mayra says they were told by the staff sergeant to come back in the morning. Follow Breitbart Newss Kristina Wong on Twitteror on Facebook. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. Calumet City Soldier Aaron David Robinson Was Main And the full story is here: https://t.co/LWqdPnIAQn pic.twitter.com/6VDFl3iOLG, KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) August 13, 2022, From October 1, 2019, to April 22, 2020, SPC, documents said. Robinson that we didn't know about? US Army officials on Thursday identified a suspect in the disappearance of missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen as an attorney for the victims family claimed that the same perpetrator attacked Guillen with a hammer and dismembered her body with a machete. Guillen received a posthumous promotion from Private First Class to Specialist. [Image via Army Criminal Investigative Command], Have a tip we should know? Landy said he knew word had gotten out about Vanessa Guillen's disappearance when he saw the military police at Fort Hood the next morning. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. I know that this is not going to bring back my daughter, Gloria said between tears. We believe Robinson could have made up that story to Aguilar because he needed help burying her body, Khawam said. Meanwhile, she said, The President of the United States of America found the time in his very busy schedule to not only call the Guilln family but also invited this beautiful family to his home. The findings of the committee identified major flaws with the sexual harassment and assault response prevention (SHARP) program at the base, fundamental issues with Fort Hood Criminal Investigation Command field office activities, and a command climate at Fort Hood that was permissive of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Phelps denied allegations that Robinson was Guillen's superior, adding he was in "no way" in Guillen's line of command. "The plan was to go hiking whenever she got off work," he said. The pile went 3 feet into the ground and the dirt was fresh, but investigators did not find any human remains, said Tim Miller, who helped lead the search with his organization EquuSearch. He joined the Army in October 2017, training as a 12B, Combat Engineer. On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Vanessa Guillen's murder, the Army dedicated a gate to her memory at Fort Hood. However, officials did say the woman was a civilian and the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. Khawam said Robinson hid Guillens body in a Pelican case a hard-sided, watertight storage in common use in the military stored in the armoury room before later dumping her body near the Leon River. A spokesperson for McCarthy confirmed to Breitbart News that he had not contacted the family: Yes thats correct. State documents reveal potential motive for Vanessa Guillen murder Investigators say Vanessa Guilln was bludgeoned to death with a hammer inside an armory at Fort Hood by fellow soldier Aaron David Robinson on April 22 but What are cy pres awards and how do they work. Morales, a 24-year-old who also used the last name Wedel before his marriage, was last heard from on Aug. 20, 2019. Memorial honors slain Fort Hood soldier as family seeks The calls went as late as 3:30 a.m. the next morning and continued the next day. However, no remain were located.. Robinson, who had been in the Army since 2017, worked in the same Regimental Engineer Squadron as Guillen. We were always fighting, but thats sisterhood. Aaron David Robinson, another soldier at Fort Hood, allegedly attacked Guillen, per the Guillen family attorney. "We told them who to investigate from the beginning, and that's not what happened. A Texas woman accused of helping mutilate and dispose of the body of a Fort Hood soldier who vanished this spring was charged Thursday, authorities said. Aaron Robinson. They said Robinson killed himself as officers moved in to arrest him late Tuesday night. She disappeared in April. Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. The family does not accept the Armys explanation for a motive. The family of #VanessaGuillen filed a lawsuit yesterday, seeking $35M from the U.S. government. However subsequent interviews have failed to [confirm] this allegation," Phelps said. "So he can murder her but he wouldn't sexually harass her. Contractors discovered the remains near the Leon River on June 30, 2020, authorities said. Robinson went missing June 30. She taught me many things because she was always tender, she was loving to me and we always loved each other. "Memories never die," he said. Location data from Robinsons phone showed that at nearly 2 a.m. on April 23, the device was in the vicinity of a bridge along the Leon River. "I went to her room and her roommate answered the door," he said. Unidentifed remains believed by family members to be those of Guillen were recovered this week along the Leon River and are undergoing forensic testing. After police issued a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert for Robinson in July, Robinson fled and killed himself as police approached.Police arrested his girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, who told police that Robinson had killed Guilln with a hammer in an armory room on base and enlisted her help to bury her body in April. Officials would also not say whether Guillens supervisors tried to check in with her at any point during the day after she was suspected to have been abducted. Then they dismembered this beautiful U.S. soldiers body with a machete. Authorities said that 20-year old Aaron David Robinson of Calumet City pulled a gun and shot himself as police were trying to make contact with him on Wednesday. They reported her missing to her superiors that night, Guillen said, though investigatorssaid the Army told the family. Aaron David Robinson. Phelps said that because she is a civilian and is in the custody of local authorities the Army will not release any further information regarding her status. "I was like, 'About time they said it,'" Cruz said. Have I ever liked her? Tim Stelloh is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. HOUSTON -- Vanessa Guillen will forever be 20 years old, engaged but will never be married. The soldier worked in an adjacent building from where Specialist Guillen worked, said Army Criminal Investigation Command Special Agent Damon Phelps. She says she has only heard from President Trump.#JusticeForVanessaGuillen pic.twitter.com/rEr9XFA2mB. Landy said he found out his friend's remains had been found from a news article. Khawam said that if Guillendenied Robinsons advances in the armory room April 22, it could have led to her death. "It just seems like a nightmare when I drive through Houston. A lifetime, Gloria said. He acknowledged that agents uncovered statements on May 7 that could be considered sexual harassment. "There was a lot of silence after that one. Officials said that her car keys, barracks room key, identification card and wallet were found in the armory room where she was working on the day she disappeared. Robinson called Aguilar several times throughout the night and the calls after midnight were for lengths greater than one minute., Aguilar later said in a second interview that she did leave her home and took a drive to a park in Belton, Texas to look at the stars.. I was still asleep but I remember she gave me a kiss and she left.". "Nevertheless, we are still investigating.". After Guillen left, Robinson finished his work and went to his off-post residence that he shared with Aguilar, he told Army CID agents during an April 28 interview. Army investigators provided the family with time stamps of when Robinson checked in and out of the armory roomApril 22, the day Guillen was last seen, and when Guillen texted Robinson to let him know she was outside and needed to be let into the building. Aaron Robinson, 20, dispose of Spc. Hes going to tell her, Honey, I killed her for you because she was going to report us. Hes not going to say, Honey, I was sexually harassing Vanessa again and killed her. . Because Im family! Juan Cruz and Vanessa Guillen's family are still looking for answers as to why the late Army specialist was killed in 2020 and how her murderer escaped justice. A burn pit was found with disturbed earth. Efflandt on Thursday added that he personally invited a team to the post earlier in the week to inspect its Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, or SHARP. Aaron David Robinson was a 20-year-old soldier from Calumet City, Illinois. July 2, 2020 / 10:25 PM And she said no. Army investigators told the family they were doing everything they could to search for Guillen on and off the post in the weeks after her disappearance, but they provided no details or updates, the family said. Aguilars phone was also tracked and revealed she was near the Leon River with Robinson on April 23 and 26. The inspections goal is to examine how the program runs and whether leadership is supportive of soldiers reporting sexual harassment and assault, officials said in a statement Wednesday. The family held protests outside the post in Killeen and inHouston and Washington, demanding answers because they said they were consistently left in the dark. ", Hightower told Landy that Vanessa was missing. Phelps said hundreds of acquaintances and friends were interviewed and there is no allegation whatsoever that shes been sexually assaulted or harassed and any hint of information that was sexual harassment was completely looked at without any credible information.. At 10:23 a.m., Guillen sent a text message confirming the serial number of a machine gun. Partial remains were found in Bell County earlier this week but have not been formally identified as Guillen, prosecutors said. Cruz said he thinks often about his late fiance. Calls To Close Fort Hood After Deaths of Ana & Vanessa Please enter valid email address to continue. Killeen Police have body camera video and dashcam video from the incident but none of it has been released. ", Maj. Gen. Gene LeBoeuf, Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Forces Command, however, insisted that "Specialist Robinson was a person of interest early on in the investigation. Vanessa Guillen 20/20: Fiance Juan Cruz speaks out in 1st national The Austin American-Statesman and USA TODAY attempted over a two-week period to speak with investigators from the Army, the FBI and Killeen police to verify Khawam and the Guillen familys accounts of what took placebut did not receive a response or were told no comment.. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The remains of Spc. McCarthy on July 10 announced after meeting with Democrat Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX) and the activist group League of United Latin American Citizens that he has directed an independent, comprehensive reviewof the command climate and culture at Fort Hood, as well as the surrounding military community.. Guillns murder has become a rallying cry for women veterans and service members who have faced sexual assault and harassment in their military careers. The inspection will assess whether the command climate at Hood is supportive of soldiers reporting sexual harassment and seek to identify any potential systemic issues within the program at Hood, Efflandt said. Those efforts gained national and even some international attention in the past months. He didnt leave for the rest of the night, except to use a government computer to enroll in training, according to this account. Jessica Priest is an investigative reporter for USA TODAY, reach her at jpriest@gatehousemedia.com. Damon Phelps of the CID, the Army's primary criminal investigative organization, told reporters that Aguilar is the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. Guilln told her family before she went missing that she had been sexually harassed by fellow soldiers, including by Spc. Together, they dismembered the body using a hatchet and a machete-type knife, the complained alleged. Robinson was confined to his barracks around the time of the discovery, but he fled and died by suicide, authorities said. Before the event, Natalie Khawam, an attorney representing Guillen's family, announced that CID officials told her that Robinson had murdered her in the unit armory on the day of her disappearance. Robinson harassed her.". Guillen's family said she planned to file a harassment complaint against Robinson, said Robinson became enraged when she told him and killed her a day before she planned to do it. The Armys account of how Guillen died remains riddled with holes that investigators refuse to clarify, said the familys attorney Natalie Khawam. The slain soldiers family has criticized higher ups for the months-long pace of the investigation. Company, 3rd Cavalry Regiment at the time Guillen, a fellow 3rd Cavalry soldier, disappeared April 22. Investigators quickly determined that the remains were too old to be Guillen's. Historically you couldnt sue the DOD if youre a victim of sexual harassment/assault due to the DODs broad misapplication of the Feres Doctrine, a 1950s Supreme Court decision that never included or addressed sexual assault, yet the DOD continued to use that case to evade accountability, Guillen family attorney Natalie Khawam told CNN. Robinsons fatal shooting took place in the 4700 block of East Rancier Avenue in "While law enforcement agencies attempted to make contact with the suspect in Killeen, Texas, Specialist Robinson reportedly displayed a weapon and took his own life," said Phelps. The Armymaintained that it found no substantial evidence that Robinson was sexually harassing Guillen. So I went back outside and I walked to the parking lot, and I saw her Jeep there. Law & Crime "I knew something was wrong because I'd check her social media," Cruz said. Aaron David Robinson, who was assigned to A. "Can you try to investigate even further as to why this was committed? Khawam earlier this week said a man at Fort Hood had walked in on Guillen while she was showering naked. Sexual assault in the U.S. military has increased over the past two years, according to a report from the Defense Department. Secretary of the Army where is it? she said. Phelps said that at this time there is no credible information that Robinson sexually harassed Guillen, despite claims by the Guillen family lawyer. The Calumet City native entered the Army in October 2017 and was a combat engineer. Have a tip or story idea? Those wretches took her life away. Robinson who fled his post Tuesday, fatally shot himself early Wednesday when police in Killeen saw him walking on the road and attempted to make Its impossible.. That's [what] we want to have that answered as well. Damon Phelps, the lead investigator for the military, claimed that the alleged killer, Army investigators believe Guillen, a Texas soldier missing since April, was killed by another soldier on the Texas base where they served, the attorney for the missing soldier's family said Thursday. And if he did not sexually harass her, let's just play that part, well then why the heck would he bludgeon her to death? Guillen was last seen at a parking lot in Fort Hood, where she was stationed, on April 22. The remains have been sent to a forensic anthropologist for analysis, though no official confirmation on the identity of the remains has been completed. Robinson, 20, also allegedly enlisted Aguilar who recognized Guillen to help him get rid of her body at a remote site in Bell County, near Fort Hood. Authorities argued Robinson wheeled Guillens body out of an arms room with a large tough box, and got the help of his girlfriend Cecily Ann Aguilar, 24, in burning the body. ", Authorities said the investigation on Guillen's disappearance remains ongoing and that they will continue to be careful about the information being shared in order to avoid "an impact on prosecution and charges.". 'I Am Vanessa Guillen': Who Was Aaron Robinson and What Investigators later learned Robinson's phone pinged in Belton, Texas, by a bridge near the Leon River, about a 30 minutes away from base in the early morning hours after Vanessa vanished. Earlier Thursday, Phelps said that Robinson died by suicide early Wednesday after fleeing Fort Hood the night before. However, they were coworkers, he said. They did not confirm details cited by Khawam about where specifically remains were found and what condition they were in. Cecily Aguilar, 22, helped Spc. Investigators spoke to Robinson again and he let them search his phone. Vanessa Guillen Aaron David Robinson of Illinois, who was assigned to a building adjacent to where Guillen worked, first ran away from Fort Hood on Tuesday night after officials said they found partial human remains near the Leon River in Bell County. At Efflandt's request, Army Forces Command ordered a seven-member inspector general team to Fort Hood to review the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program, (SHARP). She attended her first Army training in June 2018 and was later stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, making the three hour drive back to Houston every weekend to see her family. Then they dismembered this beautiful US soldiers body with a machete, Khawan claimed, adding that She needs to be brought to justice., 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Fort Hood soldier died by suicide after being sexually harassed, family says, Female soldier, 21, found dead at Fort Hood -- 3 years after Vanessa Guillen's brutal slaying, The Army is scrapping Fort Hood name here's who it will be renamed for, Family of slain Texas soldier seeking $35 million in damages, missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen.
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