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Robinson was one of the last people to see Guilln alive at Fort Hood and he had been interviewed by investigators when Guilln's initial disappearance was reported but 2020 ElectionPoliticsArmyFort HoodRyan McCarthysexual assaultsexual harassment. Please enter valid email address to continue. To order copies of Those efforts gained national and even some international attention in the past months. Military investigators said Guillen was bludgeoned with a hammer. "There was a lot of silence after that one. But on June 30, 2020, contractors working on a fence came upon a horrific odor in the same area. Vanessa Guillen The suspect was identified as Specialist Aaron David Robinson, 20, of Illinois who joined the Army in October 2017 as a combat engineer, officials said at a press conference. According to the family, the Army said it never recovered Guillens cellphone and used phone records to read her last text message. Aaron David Robinson, a suspect in the disappearance of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, died by suicide on Wednesday By People Staff Published on July 2, 2020 Martin said Fort Hood authorities contacted the military police, who got in touch with local police, then brought in the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID). I just suggested to her, I was like, 'I can talk to this individual for you, or, you know, see what route we can take about this.' Vanessa enlisted in June 2018 andworked as a small-arms/artillery repairer with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood. 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 He acknowledged that agents uncovered statements on May 7 that could be considered sexual harassment. "I was like, 'About time they said it,'" Cruz said. 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. Woman charged with helping get rid of body of Vanessa Guillen, The Guillens pleas for help spread nationally after #IAmVanessaGuillen went viral on social media this month. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 'I Am Vanessa Guillen': Who Was Aaron Robinson and What Daryl Fields, spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office,said he could not provide answers to the list of questions: Thank you for your latest inquiry, but our office is not commenting on this investigation beyond the information provided in the federal criminal complaint., She didnt have to go to war to die, she had to die here at the hands of those wretches, Gloria Guillen said. 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 "We need to know exactly what went on in that arms room. Suspect in Fort Hood soldier case kills self, 2nd suspect jailed after The family called the movement the #MeToo of the military. Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Guillen's Army friends weren't the only ones worried about her disappearance. July 2, 2020 / 10:25 PM / CBS Chicago KILLEEN, Texas (CBS) -- A Calumet City soldier was the main suspect in the murder of fellow soldier Vanessa Guillen, CBS 2 has The team also is charged with identifying any potentially systemic issues with the SHARP program at Fort Hood, as well as any resource constraints.. Guilln told her family before she went missing that she had been sexually harassed by fellow soldiers, including by Spc. ", 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.". She said she hoped publicizing such questions would push the Army to answer the familys pleas for transparency. Gregory Morales, right outside the post in Killeen last month. The Guillen family said Vanessa told other soldiers at Fort Hood that she was being sexually harassed. An Army investigation into her disappearance has led to the recent discovery of human remains in Belton, Texas, but officials say that they have not yet been positively identified. HOUSTON Gloria Guillens fingers clenched her Rosary as she painfully described one of her last memories of her daughter the moment the proud mother learned Army Spc. 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, who was assigned to A. Aguilar helped law enforcement locate Robinson in the city of Killeen. She said she begged her daughter to tell her what was wrong. Fort Hood officials said that the human remains discovered recently have not been identified. Spc. At that time, I suspected something was up. 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. "I asked, 'Have you seen Guillen?' expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Aguilar was again interviewed on the night of June 30 and admitted that Robinson told her on April 22 that he struck a female soldier in the head with a hammer multiple times inside the armory. "That's the regiment Vanessa used to work, and everyone that passes through that gate will see my sister's name, my sister's picture and remind themselves about how sexual harassment and assault has to be taken seriously, and about the way she was murdered because no one deserves that.". KILLEEN, Texas (CBS) -- A Calumet City soldier was the main suspect in the murder of fellow soldier Vanessa Guillen, CBS 2 has learned. 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. Aaron David Robinson Khawam said she contacted McCarthys office in June, but has not received a call back yet. Emailus. I was just checking, but nothing. Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. At around 10 p.m., he was heard talking on the phone, apparently to his mother, saying "don't believe what you hear about me." Vanessa Guillen also spoke about it with her friends. We believe Robinson could have made up that story to Aguilar because he needed help burying her body, Khawam said. Robinson and his girlfriend allegedly tried to destroy and conceal Guillens body, according to the attorney. She disappeared in April. She questioned the Army's conclusion that Robinson did not harass Vanessa Guillen. So, I feel like they should've came to that conclusion way earlier than they had. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has yet to personally call and offer condolences to the family of Spc. 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. "It was so many rumors, we didn't know what to believe," Hightower said. U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will introduce legislation on the House floor next week. ", He added that the Army cannot release his name "for the matter of privacy" and is "part of the investigation and the process.". We keep demanding a congressional investigation! Vanessa Guillen was a private first class, so he technically ranked above her, though she was about to also become a specialist. Unidentifed remains believed by family members to be those of Guillen were recovered this week along the Leon River and are undergoing forensic testing. Ryan "Cj" Landy, a fellow soldier in her unit, told "20/20" that he and Guillen became friends "immediately" after she arrived. "As close of friends as we were, she came to us about a lot of different stuff. Fort Hood is the largest active duty armoured unit post in the U.S. military, according to the posts website. Because Im family! Investigators spoke to over 300 soldiers in Vanessa Guillen's unit, including Hightower. Army investigatorstold the family they found blood residue splattered throughout the armory room, which would have happened when Robinson killed Guillen with a hammer, Khawam said. "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. Robinson fatally shot himself July 1 when authorities confronted him off post, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. And that's what the criminal investigation is seeking answers to as well.". According to a criminal complaint that details what investigators believe happened to Guillen, Aguilar said she drove with Robinson to the Leon River where they tried to dispose of the body. Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, III Corps deputy commanding general, announced during the press conference that the Inspector General's Office will examine the implementation of Fort Hood's sexual harassment and prevention program, assess whether the "command climate" is supportive of soldiers reporting sexual assault or harassment and "identify any potential systemic issues. My thoughts and prayers are with Vanessas family and all of her loved ones, and our focus is turned to supporting her family and honoring her legacy. The motive for the alleged murder was not described in the complaint. This pretty much gave an instant alibi to the suspect. "Three separate soldiers had indicated that they had seen Specialist Vanessa Guillen departing the arms room and moving towards a motor pool area where vehicles are maintained." "So he can murder her but he wouldn't sexually harass her. During a news conference, Army Criminal Investigation Command Special Agent Damon Phelps named the now-deceased soldier as Spc. We drove the route she [would] usually run up the road on base which was 2 miles away from the barracks. Phelps said the Army has no credible information or reports that Guillen was sexually assaulted. Follow Breitbart Newss Kristina Wong on Twitteror on Facebook. No one else is family for Vanessa! ", "On my way there, I was just crying because I couldn't understand it," Mayra Guillen said. Gloria Guillen, along with her daughters, drove to Killeen the night of April 22 because Vanessa had not returned phone calls or text messages the entire day. 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. ", Mayra Guillen said she "couldn't believe it.". In an April 28 interview, Robinson allegedly claimed that he went home after work on the 22nd to the residence he shared with Aguilar, his girlfriend. Robinson was a suspect in Guillen's disappearance, but he "was not involved" in the separate investigation looking into the sexual harassment allegations, said Phelps. And this time they didn't tell me, 'It's not her.'" 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. They attempted to burn the body, before placing the remains in three separate holes. Instead of Governor [of Texas Greg] Abbott, instead of the secretary of the Army, it is the president who is talking to me. She taught me many things because she was always tender, she was loving to me and we always loved each other. However, officials did say the woman was a civilian and the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier. And that's probably what happened to her.' 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Later, the world learned that she had told her mother she was sexually harassed on the base. Aguilar was charged with conspiracy to hide and destroy evidence in connection to Vanessa Guillen's death and was denied bond on July 14, 2020. Company, 3rd Cavalry Regiment at the time Guillen, a fellow 3rd Cavalry soldier, disappeared April 22. Vanessa Guillen suffered mental anguish, fear, emotional distress, physical injury, and death as a result of sexual harassment, rape, sodomy, and physical assault., Nothing is going to bring her back, Vanessas sisterMayra Guillen said, according to KHOU. 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. "It's one of the biggest military reforms in history," Vanessa Guillen's other sister, Lupe Guillen, said. LaBoeuf said he was "in Specialist Guillen's chain of command somebody that-- that had responsibility, a leadership role over Specialist Guillen. Later that night, Army investigators questioned Aguilar, they say she admitted that Robinson had told her he killed Vanessa Guillen and that she saw her remains in the tough box that he had carted out of the arms room, where he told her he killed Guillen. However, U.S. army officials on Thursday would still not release a timeline of the events before and following her disappearance, citing an active investigation. The calls went as late as 3:30 a.m. the next morning and continued the next day. Hightower planned to go hiking with Guillen on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, the day she went missing. Every single step!. 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. Then they dismembered this beautiful U.S. soldiers body with a machete. On April 30, 2021, the Army announced that it had found Guillen had been sexually harassed by a superior, but that superior was not Robinson. "The way that he knew that it was Vanessa was because he described her hair to me. A petition started in 2021, a year after 20-year-old U.S. Army soldier Vanessa Guilln was bludgeoned to death by soldier Aaron David Robinson, that calls for the Aaron David Robinson, who officials say killed himself July 1, was accused of beating Guillen to death with a hammer while they worked together in an armory room the Sitting in her Houston home last week beside her youngest daughter, Lupe, who translated for the interview, Gloria Guillen said in Spanish that Vanessa gleamed with excitement as she planned for a wedding in November 2021. Guillens family, joined by friends and strangers in the Killeen community, worked tirelessly to demand justice and a thorough search for the missing soldier. She was being held without bail. Guillen was last seen at a parking lot in Fort Hood, where she was stationed, on April 22. They filled out affidavits that said they had seen Vanessa at a different time from when she had actually departed the other arms room [controlled by Robinson], Secretary of the U.S. Army Ryan McCarthy has reportedlysaid. Army authorities have said a a superior noncommissioned officer in [Guillens] unit harassed her and theres no evidence she was sexually assaulted. She was murdered, inside one of the Army's largest military installations. Aaron Robinson 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.. Aguilar's lawyers have filed a motion to throw out the entire case and another motion to suppress the statements officers say she made. Well, Vanessa was that (perfect) person. It said it was gonna rain.". I Am Vanessa Guillen: Everything You Need to Know - Netflix Vanessa Guillen 20/20: Fiance Juan Cruz speaks out in 1st national Vanessa Guillen, 20, also say that authorities failed to properly address her claims of facing sexual abuse. Authorities have said that Spc. At a news conference Thursday, the Army identified the soldier suspected in Guillens disappearance as Aaron David Robinson. Related: Army Investigating Fort Hood Sexual Assault Program After Soldier's Disappearance, Military COVID-19 Cases Spike 41% in June, With Upticks in Hotspot States, Army Investigating Fort Hood Sexual Assault Program After Soldier's Disappearance. He was originally from Calumet City, Illinois. "[Robinson] was like, 'Oh, I kept it professional; didn't say too much to her.' The Guillen family wants more answers, too. Aaron Robinson of bludgeoning Guillen to death with a hammer on April 22, 2020, at Fort Hood. She needs to be brought to justice.. Khawam earlier this week said a man at Fort Hood had walked in on Guillen while she was showering naked. The two suspects returned to the site with hairnets and gloves on April 26, according to cell phone records. Law & Crime Robinson died by suicide 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. It is claimed that he did so after she found out he was having an affair with a married woman, Cecily Aguilar, when she saw a picture of the woman on his phone. She never deployed overseas but was awarded the Army Commendation Medal (posthumously), the National Defense Service Ribbonand the Army Service Ribbon. "I didn't force her to do anything she didn't wanna do. The Secretary of the Army at the time of Vanessa Guillen's disappearance, Ryan McCarthy, created an independent review panel, including investigators, lawyers and retired FBI agents, to look at the command climate at Fort Hood. We were always fighting, but thats sisterhood. In the calls, Robinson didn't deny anything. When asked about why it took two hours to track him down, and how Robinson got a gun, LaBoeuf said "We want answers to that too. The family has called repeatedly for a congressional investigation, not an Army-directed investigation, however. The Guillen family's lawyer is pushing for the evidence to be published to see if any more information could be gleaned from Robinson's final moments. Watch the Guillen familys news conference below, courtesy of CBS Dallas-Fort Worth. She says she has only heard from President Trump.#JusticeForVanessaGuillen pic.twitter.com/rEr9XFA2mB. 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. Some of the soldiers who were around gave investigators bad information, he said. She is currently in custody awaiting her first court appearance. More:Civilian searcher says Army overlooked evidence after Vanessa Guillen's death. A criminal complaint filed against Aguilar accuses her of tampering with evidence, including Guillens body, on April 23 and 26 to impair its integrity and availability for use in an official proceeding., Though the family believes Robinson killed Guillenand the allegations that Aguilar helped bury her remains, Khawam said, the story of how Robinson killed Guillen, moved her body and cleaned up the crime scene all while on a military post without an accomplice or being found out sooner does not make sense.. He remembered helping her with weightlifting and she helped him work on squats and deadlifts. 2 killed, 4 wounded in Mississippi shooting; man arrested, 150 years later, Dixon bridge tragedy among nation's worst, Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says he wants to 'shut down the FBI' and replace it with something that sounds a lot like the FBI, Sanders: Biden could win in a landslide, Brooklyn community members mourn the life of family killed in fire, Remembering the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State University, Cooler weather has arrived and looks to stay for the week ahead, Pine-Richland High School Band 2023 Pegasus Parade. Memorial honors slain Fort Hood soldier as family seeks Army investigators have said theres no evidence Robinson harassed her. Phelps said investigators are aware Guillen's family members made statements early on to the media concerning sexual harassment allegations. They did not confirm details cited by Khawam about where specifically remains were found and what condition they were in. 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. Robinson, who fled his post at Fort Hood Tuesday, shot and killed himself as officers moved in to arrest him late Tuesday night in Killeen, Texas, according to officials. The family has maintained that Guillen was sexually harassed by superiors at Fort Hood. 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. Robinson died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound when approached by law enforcement on Tuesday, according to Killeen police. He was scheduled to be discharged from the Army within a couple of days of his disappearance, Fort Hood officials have said. Robinson added that he returned to Fort Hood at 6:30 p.m. on the day of Guillens disappearance to use a government computer to enroll in training. On May 18, two witnesses said that on the day of Guillens disappearance, they observed Robinson pulling a large tough box,' with wheels, that appeared very heavy out of the armory where he worked. Landy said he found out his friend's remains had been found from a news article. 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.. Investigators said Aguilar backed up his alibi. You know how frustrating it was for me to not be there? Just why?" 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. Hightower said that at around 10 p.m., he found out that the last person she'd worked with in the arms room was Spc. After two days, the Army officially marked Vanessa Guillen as AWOL, or absent without official leave. They eventually identified the remains as missing Fort Hood soldier Gregory Morales, who'd gone missing in August 2019, almost a year prior. The soldier worked in an adjacent building from where Specialist Guillen worked, said Army Criminal Investigation Command Special Agent Damon Phelps. "We were interviewing other people in the unit as well to find out, was there a relationship between Vanessa and Spc. The #IAmVanessaGuillen hashtag made its way to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Guillens sister, Mayra, previously told NBC's "Dateline" that Guillen never identified the person who allegedly harassed her and never reported the incidents to the Armys sexual harassment and prevention program. Aguilar was charged in federal court with conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. "Can you try to investigate even further as to why this was committed? Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, an Iraq War veteran, is the Democratic lead sponsor. Those wretches took her life away. According to investigators, he even texted her links to news articles about the remains discovered near the Leon River. Vanessa Guillen, said she has not heard from Governor Abbott or the Secretary of the Army following the death of her sister. Vanessa Guillen bludgeoned to death by fellow soldier, attorney Phelps would not comment on the allegations made by Khawam that Robinson murdered her because it is still an ongoing investigation. pic.twitter.com/mWwjiJx4ly. The repeated calls from Robinson were because she could not find her phone and he was calling to help her locate the device, she told investigators. A lifetime, Gloria said. 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? He joined the army in Landy said it was frustrating that investigators were seemingly not suspicious of Robinson. What did Aaron David Robinson do? We are going to love each other all our lives. However, he declined to release the womans name. On the other hand, murals aren't made for just anyone. They Refused to Fight for Russia. Aguilar has been charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. 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