Woman Sentenced in Connection to Killing of Female Soldier Whose Funeral Was Paid For By President Trump

Monday a Killeen, Texas woman was sentenced in federal court in Waco to 30 years in prison for her connection to the murder of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén.

The April 2020 disappearance of 20-year-old private first class Guillén from Fort Hood Army base in Texas went virtually unnoticed by national media.

Guillén’s family, worried about her concerns of sexual harassment and fear of reporting it to her superiors, hired attorney Natalie Khawam, when they sensed base officials were stalling.

Khawam and Guillén’s relatives began holding press conferences, accusing the military of deliberately misleading them. Marches and demonstrations across the country soon followed. Politicians, celebrities and advocate groups took up her cause. They demanded she be found.

Two months later, Guillén’s body was finally discovered, in pieces, buried in concrete about 20 miles from Fort Hood.

Investigators indicated she had been beaten to death inside an armory on base. Guillén’s blood was on the walls and then washed off.

In July 2020, the soldier suspected of killing Guillen shot himself to death as authorities approached him for questioning.

That month Guillén’s relatives met with President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office. He pledged that her death would not be “swept under the rug” and offered to help pay for her funeral.

“It’s an incredible story. It’s a terrible story,” Trump said to the family in the White House. “So we’re going to look into it very powerfully. We already have started, as you know, and we’ll get to the bottom of it. Maybe things can come out that will help other people in a situation like Vanessa. We’ll be in touch with you constantly.”

Khawam told the President that Guillén’s remains could not be laid to rest because they are still in the possession of authorities. Trump was shaken and ensured it became a high priority.

“If I can help you out with the funeral, I’ll help you out, financially, I’ll help you,” Trump said.

Base commander Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, who was scheduled to take over the 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, lost his promotion and was removed from his post in September of that year.

According to court documents, Cecily Aguilar, 25, assisted Army Specialist Aaron Robinson in corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating and concealing evidence—that is, the body of Vanessa Guillen—in order to prevent Robinson from being charged with and prosecuted for any crime.

Aguilar also altered and destroyed information contained in a Google account of Robinson. During the investigation into the disappearance of Vanessa Guillen, Aguilar made four materially false statements to federal investigators.

On Nov. 29, 2022, Aguilar pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of false statement or representation.

“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,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Ms. Aguilar’s actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made.

☆☆☆☆☆