Texas soldier Vanessa Guillen was allegedly killed on the day of her disappearance in April by a fellow soldier who bludgeoned her to death with a hammer, her family attorney said on July 2.
Attorney Natalie Khawam, a lawyer for Guillen’s family, told a press conference on Thursday that the 20-year-old Fort Hood Texas soldier was killed on April 22 by Spc. Aaron David Robinson inside an armory room where she worked. He then, with his girlfriend, allegedly attempted to burn her body before dismembering her body with a machete.
Guillen was last seen in the parking lot at the Texas Army base at around 1 p.m. on that day, wearing a black T-shirt and purple workout pants.
Robinson, 20, allegedly attacked Guillen on the head with a hammer in a “heinous act” that “caused her blood to be splashed all over the armory room,” Khawam told the Army Times in a statement.
After Robinson killed Guillen, he then allegedly contacted his girlfriend Cecily Anne Aguilar “to help him bury her bloody body,” Khawam said.
“At first they tried to set her on fire, but she wouldn’t burn. Then they dismembered this beautiful U.S. soldier’s body with a machete,” the attorney added.
“During the course of the investigation, information was provided on the location of the suspect. The suspect was located walking in the 4700 block of East Rancier Avenue and as officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, the suspect produced a weapon and committed suicide by shooting himself. The suspect was pronounced deceased at 1:17 a.m. by Justice of the Peace Garland Potvin at the scene,” the news release said.
The pair were both members of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment’s engineer squadron but were on different troops. Khawam told reporters on Thursday that she believes Guillen was sexually harassed by Robinson.
Khawam said the 20-year-old feared retaliation, so did not report the harassment.
A spokesperson for the Army CID said during the briefing that there was “no credible information” that Guillen had been sexually harassed, calling Robinson a “coworker” and not a supervisor to 20-year-old.
Partial human remains were discovered near the Leon River—about 26 miles east of the base—by U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, Army spokesman Chris Grey confirmed on Tuesday.
The identity of the remains has not been determined.
“Our hearts are broken. We feel pain, frustration and devastation. This shouldn’t have happened. We demand a congressional investigation. We demand the truth,” the attorney said.
“If this could happen to Vanessa, this can happen to any one of our sisters, daughters and mothers,” she continued. “There’s no reason why a young beautiful girl who joined the Army, to honorably serve our country, should be in a shallow grave near on our own turf.”
Robinson’s girlfriend, Aguilar, 22, has been charged with second-degree felony tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse and a federal charge of conspiracy to tamper with evidence.
