Goodnight,'" he said. And I just dropped my phone and it was just like everything came to an end," she said. Fort Hood Soldier Vanessa Guillen's family obtains She said she begged her daughter to tell her what was wrong. Burned remains of a plastic tote or tough box were found in an area where Robinsons phone pinged. Guillen received a posthumous promotion from Private First Class to Specialist. With the 115th pick, the Chicago Bears selected Texas running back Roschon Johnson, a player who at Texas might've been "the star'' had Bijan Robinson (who went No. Robinson sexually harassed Spc. Cruz said he thinks often about his late fiance. The League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's oldest Latino civil rights organization that has been helping the Guillen family, added an additional $25,000 to the reward the following day. They called local sheriffs out to the area; the Texas Rangers and Fort Hood CID soon followed. A lot of silence. Later, the world learned that she had told her mother she was sexually harassed on the base. "There was a lot of silence after that one. But, prior to that, there's no evidence whatsoever that Spc. KILLEEN, Texas (CBS) -- A Calumet City soldier was the main suspect in the murder of fellow soldier Vanessa Guillen, CBS 2 has learned. Nothing. On May 18, nearly a month after Vanessa Guillen's disappearance, investigators spoke to two witnesses who said they saw Robinson exiting the arms room on April 22 with Investigators said she told them she and Robinson dismembered the body and dug three separate graves, then came back two days later to cover them with concrete. If convicted, Aguilar faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Robinson harassed Spc. believe that the remains found in Bell County are Guillen's. 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.. All 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. Sheconfided to her family that it was Robinson. Khawam said she was told a third suspect was detained. The family called the movement the #MeToo of the military. Robinson then placed the deceased soldier in a box and brought her to the Leon River, according to the complaint. 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. 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. The announcement comes a day after Natalie Khawam, attorney for the Guillen family, said they believe that the remains found in Bell County are Guillen's. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. She is currently in custody awaiting her first court appearance. 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. 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. Robinson and his girlfriend allegedly tried to destroy and conceal Guillens body, according to the attorney. Authorities said three soldiers accidentally gave Robinson an alibi, leading investigators away from the real killer. Some of the soldiers who were around gave investigators bad information, he said. The slain soldiers family has criticized higher ups for the months-long pace of the investigation. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. We are going to love each other all our lives. ET on ABC. 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 Aguilars phone was also tracked and revealed she was near the Leon River with Robinson on April 23 and 26. Have a tip or story idea? Army officials identify two suspects in case of missing Fort Hood soldier, Partial remains were found in Bell County earlier this week. In an interview with KXXV, a local television station in Killeen, Cruz said, "She was just gone, so she just disappeared. Mayra Guillen said. The identification of the human remains recovered is still pending. No attorney for Aguilar was listed on the court filings. The Guillens said they struggle to believe what Army investigators say. Fort Hood officials said that the human remains discovered recently have not been identified. The Guillen family said Vanessa told other soldiers at Fort Hood that she was being sexually harassed. 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. Law enforcement officials attempted to make contact with Robinson, 20, on Tuesday in Killeen, Texas, but he displayed a weapon and took his own life, Phelps said during the news conference. I need to know every single step of this issue! I see her murals and I say to myself, 'Damn, this is reality. Earlier Thursday, Phelps said that Robinson died by suicide early Wednesday after fleeing Fort Hood the night before. LaBoeuf revealed in an interview with "20/20" that she was "sexually harassed on two separate occasions by the same soldier" -- someone who was her superior. You know how frustrating it was for me to not be there? After the sexual harassment reports surfaced, many service members have used the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen to share their experiences with sexual assault and harassment on social media. Justice will be done.. Aaron David Robinson, 20, died by suicide when authorities made contact with him, according to the Army. Authorities on Thursday said 20-year-old Spc. Local law enforcement later found Robinson on East Rancier Avenue, east of Fort Hood near North Twin Creek Drive, where he pulled a gun and shot himself when confronted by Killeen police early Wednesday. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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. Aaron David Robinson, who was assigned to A. Well, thanks to my girl, thanks to my girl, all those girls are coming to light, all those rapes, all those rapes, all those harassments, Gloria Guillen said. Also, at 4 p.m. that day, she "was mistakenly marked present," he said. soldier, was murdered and body Phelps said that at this time there is no credible information that Robinson sexually harassed Guillen, despite claims by the Guillen family lawyer. The post straddles Bell and Coryell counties across 340 square miles of arid scrubland. The family has maintained that Guillen was sexually harassed by superiors at Fort Hood. 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. 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. 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. 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. Meanwhile, Cruz and Vanessa's sisters were desperately trying to spread word of her disappearance on their own. At the time, there was not a missing soldier protocol in place. "We will release information on those remains as soon as we can and after notification is made with the next of kin.". Special Agent Damon Phelps with the U.S. army Criminal Investigation Command on Thursday said a second suspect also was arrested this week. 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. Investigators and volunteers had searched along the Leon River without success. 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. 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. Aaron David Robinson, 20, who had allegedly walked in on Guillen while she was showering in a locker room and watched. They reported her missing to her superiors that night, Guillen said, though investigatorssaid the Army told the family. The Guillen family wants more answers, too. "It's one of the biggest military reforms in history," Vanessa Guillen's other sister, Lupe Guillen, said. Soldiers were tasked with watching Robinson in shifts. The motive for the alleged murder was not described in the complaint. Cecily Aguilar, 22, a civilian, told investigators Robinson asked her to help hide a body. 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, beat Guillen to death with a hammer the morning of April 22. I prayed to God so much, Gloria said. We keep demanding a congressional investigation! You know how they say no one is perfect? Lupe asked. army officials at Fort Hood on Thursday identified the soldier who killed himself this week after he was questioned about his possible involvement in the disappearance of Spc. She needs to be brought to justice.. Those efforts gained national and even some international attention in the past months. "Nothing really can bring her back at all but as long as we know how to honor her name and how to make this change, I feel like that would be some closure for us," Mayra Guillen said. Aguilar helped authorities pinpoint his location so that he could be arrested. On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Vanessa Guillen's murder, the Army dedicated a gate to her memory at Fort Hood. A lifetime, Gloria said. While Guillens family and their attorney, Natalie Khawam, say the remains found near the river are likely that of the missing soldier, U.S. army officials at Fort Hood on Thursday said the remains had yet to be identified. Investigators found remains in three separate shallow graves, each concealed with cement. The calls went as late as 3:30 a.m. the next morning and continued the next day. And she would always beat me.". 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. Red Table Talk: Vanessa Guillen's Mother Says Her Killer Did I would truly wish to have her here than any of this, but this is where we are today.. "We were interviewing other people in the unit as well to find out, was there a relationship between Vanessa and Spc. "I was astonished that they had so much information and details. More:Civilian searcher says Army overlooked evidence after Vanessa Guillen's death. ", Chris Swecker, a former leader in the FBI who helped lead the independent review panel at Fort Hood, said that even though the command investigation found "no evidence that Spc. In the last year, her name has become a rallying cry for women's safety and military reform. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution The Armys account of how Guillen died remains riddled with holes that investigators refuse to clarify, said the familys attorney Natalie Khawam. Several media outlets on Thursday, however, identified the woman as Cecily Anne Aguilar, a 22-year-old Killeen resident. However subsequent interviews have failed to [confirm] this allegation," Phelps said. She was reported missing in April but her remains were not found until July. On the other hand, murals aren't made for just anyone. However, they were coworkers, he said. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. 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. Guillen, a 20-year-old Houston native who received her rank of specialist on Wednesday, was last seen between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on April 22 in the parking lot of the Regimental Engineer Squadron Headquarters where she worked at Fort Hood, officials said. According to the family, the Army said it never recovered Guillens cellphone and used phone records to read her last text message. They seek $10 million for wrongful death and $25 million for personal injury. 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.' Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Two days later, the military opened up a separate inquiry looking into allegations that Guillen was sexually harassed by a supervisor. 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. "The plan was to go hiking whenever she got off work," he said. "She had suspected it was gonna be a half-day. Aaron Robinson | The Conspiracy Wiki | Fandom 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.. Army investigators have said theres no evidence Robinson harassed her. Aaron Robinson He told investigators that he and Guillen exchanged paperwork for a .50 caliber machine gun that needed to be serviced and she left the arms room. Vanessa Guillen. Robinson and Guillen were both members of the 3rd Cavalry Regiments engineer squadron, though they were assigned to different troops. We need to know exactly why it happened. "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.". 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. After two days, the Army officially marked Vanessa Guillen as AWOL, or absent without official leave. Authorities have said that Spc. IE 11 is not supported. The "I Am Vanessa Guillen" bill, would explicitly list sexual harassment as a crime in military law, require the secretary of defense to establish a process for servicemembers to lodge a complaint confidentially and move the decision of whether to prosecute a sexual offense to an special prosecutor outside the chain of command. After police issued a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert for Robinson in July, Robinson fled and killed himself as police approached. The family of #VanessaGuillen filed a lawsuit yesterday, seeking $35M from the U.S. government. The Calumet City native entered the Army in October 2017 and was a combat engineer. Her disappearance happened at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while "everybody's sheltering," he said, so "we had very few soldiers moving about.". "I said, 'Vanessa's been found,'" he remembered. Company, 3rd Cavalry Regiment at the time Guillen, a fellow 3rd Cavalry soldier, disappeared April 22. This statement, however, is inconsistent with the lengths of the calls, the complaint reads. Gloria said she believes her prayers healed Vanessa. ", Landy said Robinson acted "upset" that everybody kept "blowing up his phone.". Khawam said the family revealed those allegations to investigators late last month. A review of the call logs showed Robinson contacted Aguilar multiple times on the night Guillen disappeared. Family Tracking CA's reservoir levels, snowpack map, drought status, How safe is your neighborhood? But it was not so much for harassment; it was for harassment, but there is something more, she continued. EMBED <> More Videos Vanessa Guillen also spoke about it with her friends. 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. Morales had been listed as a deserter, but now the Army says foul play is suspected. More:Civilian searcher says Army overlooked evidence after Vanessa Guillen's death Investigators suspect a fellow soldier, Spc. Woman charged with helping get rid of body of Vanessa Guillen, Investigators brought a cadaver dog, which signaled that a body might have been thrown in the water. Heather Osbourne is a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network, reach her at hosbourne@statesman.com. 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The #IAmVanessaGuillen hashtag made its way to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The Army said leadership failed to take appropriate action. Her family is still looking for answers as to why she was killed, and how her murderer escaped justice. But like I said, the night before, he had told us that he didn't say anything to her at all," Landy said. 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. Law & Crime She says she has only heard from President Trump.#JusticeForVanessaGuillen pic.twitter.com/rEr9XFA2mB. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Investigators suspect a fellow soldier, Spc. She added that McCarthy has scheduled a press conference for Thursday with media at Fort Hood, Texas, but has not even contacted the Guilln family to let them know it was happening. This pretty much gave an instant alibi to the suspect. "Can you try to investigate even further as to why this was committed? Vanessa Guillen bludgeoned to death on Fort Hood base, family Guillen, 20, were found near the Leon River in Bell County in late June, Civilian searcher says Army overlooked evidence after Vanessa Guillen's death. Authorities said three soldiers accidentally gave Robinson an alibi, leading investigators away from the real killer. However, no remain were located.. "We told them who to investigate from the beginning, and that's not what happened. While there, he was allowed to talk on his cell phone to Aguilar, who was with investigators and agreed to let them record the calls.