Found Deceased TX - PFC Vanessa Guillen, 20, Fort Hood military base, items left behind, 22 Apr 2020 *arrests* #3

[Boxer]

Well - shizzle.... I had today as her hearing... so - I'll post this so I can shorten it up a bit - and the update is in red.

Monday, July 6th:
*Initial Appearance (@ 11am CT) - TX – PFC Vanessa Guillen (20)(last seen April 22, 2020, reported missing April 23, 2020, Ft. Hood military base, remains were found (June 20, 2020) in a shallow grave next to the Leon River in Texas & the remains were sealed in concrete) - *Cecily Anne Aguilar (22) – (Robinson’s GF) – arrested (7/1/20) & charged (7/2/20) with 2nd degree tampering/fabricating with physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse.
*Aaron David Robinson (20) one of the suspects, shot himself overnight at around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday (4/22/20) after learning human remains were found. He ran out in shorts when confronted and shot himself in the head. The suspects tried to burn Guillen & evidence at the crime scene, near Leon River, which is around 26 miles from the base. Aguilar helped dismember the body.
According to court documents, Vanessa, who was inexplicably called into work on her day off on the morning of April 22, 2020, went to an adjacent armory room, where junior soldier Aaron Robinson was working at the time. No one saw Guillen leave the armory room once she met up with Robinson & she stopped responding to text messages & calls. Guillen left her ID card, keys, and wallet behind in an armory room next to the room where Robinson worked, according to a witness. She never returned to pick the items up. Robinson told authorities that Guillen read off serial numbers for weapons & equipment when she arrived at the adjacent room. He claimed she then left to go a motor pool, where she was to hand off paperwork about a .50 caliber machine gun. Employees in the motor pool said they never saw Guillen.
Timeline post #534:
Found Deceased - TX - PFC Vanessa Guillen, 20, Fort Hood military base, items left behind, 22 Apr 2020 *arrests* #3
7/2/20 Update: Aguilar awaiting transfer by the US Marshals to a federal facility. Today (7/2/20), federal authorities filed a criminal complaint against Aguilar in connection with the disappearance of Vanessa. The criminal complaint charges Aguilar with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. Upon conviction, Aguilar faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. She remains in custody at this time awaiting her Initial Appearance in federal court in Waco. The hearing is expected to take place early next week. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Frazier & Greg Gloff are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. CA was transferred Friday (7/3/20) from Bell County to McLennan County to face federal charges. She arrived at the McLennan County Jail on State Highway 6 early Friday afternoon. She’s scheduled for an initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge at 11am on Tuesday, 7/7/20, changed to 7/6/20.
7/6/20 Update: LE moved her from Bell County jail to McLennan County jail so she could appear in Federal Court in Waco today, 7/6. Aguilar is held without bond after an initial appearance Monday morning before a federal magistrate judge. She’s charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, according to online records. The offense carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A preliminary & bond hearing is scheduled for July 14. Attorney Lewis Berray Gainor was appointed to defend Aguilar.

"She’s charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence with intent to impair a human corpse," according to online records.

Shouldn't obstruction be a charge too?
There is what she did to VGs body, but also providing a false a alibi for AR.

 

[MsBetsy]

She’s charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, according to online records.

Shouldn't obstruction be a charge too?
There is what she did to VGs body, but also providing a false a alibi for AR.

According to the affidavit the charge is "conspiracy to corruptly alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal an object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the objects integrity or availability for use in a criminal proceeding."

 

[m00c0w]

"She’s charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence with intent to impair a human corpse," according to online records.

Shouldn't obstruction be a charge too?
There is what she did to VGs body, but also providing a false a alibi for AR.

According to the affidavit the charge is "conspiracy to corruptly alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal an object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the objects integrity or availability for use in a criminal proceeding."

I believe this is the applicable statute:

18 U.S. Code § 1519 - Destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy

I am not sure if there is a federal law against something like desecrating a body. I doubt these will be the final charges; it’s just enough to keep her in jail without bond for now, IMO.

 

[MsBetsy]

A sergeant was not the murderer. So there is another perp out there.
VG said she would take care of it herself. That does not mean she would report him. It could mean a lot of things. Getting him on tape. Video. In a compromising situation. The family can not identify the dead man as the sexual harasser. They do not know who he was. He’s not her sergeant. VG knows the difference between a sergeant and this psycho-lunatic. He’s not the harasser.
As for blood everywhere? We have information from the girlfriend, second hand at best. By now, the Army would have taken steps to investigate the arms room and test for blood splatter and patterns. No news. So before we get sensationalized out of the room, let’s wait and see what we find out. Did the guy keep swinging the hammer over and over? That would be a bloody mess. He does not appear to be the kind of guy to clean up after himself. Surely the Army looked inside both arms rooms after she went missing.
Sensationalism. Reality TV.

Yes, Vanessa would know the difference but her mother might not. It's possible that she misunderstood. I'm not sure I believe Algulair's story that she was going to report him for adultery and he didn't want her to ruin his military career. I think it's more likely that he made advances and she rejected him.

I don't know how this crime can be sensationalized. It's worse than reality tv. If they were capable of chopping off her limbs and her head with an axe or a knife and watching her body burn then AR is certainly capable of making a bloody mess with a hammer. They weren't even able to use her dental records to identify the body since so many of her teeth were missing.

It may not be reality tv, but it is reality. We haven't yet heard what evidence was found in the armory room. I would think they would have looked there after she went missing too, but we don't know that they did.

Imo

 

[MsBetsy]

I believe this is the applicable statute:

18 U.S. Code § 1519 - Destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy

I am not sure if there is a federal law against something like desecrating a body. I doubt these will be the final charges; it’s just enough to keep her in jail without bond for now, IMO.

In the affidavit it says Title 18 US Code 1512 (c) and (k).

 

[m00c0w]

In the affidavit it says Title 18 US Code 1512 (c) and (k).

Good catch. Looks like C covers both tampering and obstruction. K is conspiracy.

18 U.S. Code § 1512 - Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant

 

[Boxer]

Good catch. Looks like C covers both tampering and obstruction. K is conspiracy.

18 U.S. Code § 1512 - Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant

Hopefully 20 years each

 

[California Sunset]

I don't know whether or not AR was harassing her. However, based on what I have read from other women experiences, sometimes they end up still working with the very same person that raped them even after they reported the person. It takes alot to report someone regardless of the organization and the military does not have a good track record. It might even be worse for you to do so.So what do you do? you quit? You spend years fighting them? I mean just two years ago the one of the representative in the SHARP program was running a prostitution ring? Obviously she had no idea how dangerous he was, who thinks they are going to get murdered by a colleague at their place of work in the military? I would not be surprised if she was cautious of him but still went to do her job.

ALL MOO

To add, based on the reported timeline, it does seem that it was being investigated early on. It is possible because of their secrecy they did not do a good job of keeping in contact with the family. I would like to know what was the situation that allowed the sister and AR to meet.

If you believe I was/am being critical of VG at all, you are seriously mistaken.
Are you female? Were you in the military? Raped, sexually harassed or threatened? 'You're preaching to the choir'.
I am a female military veteran and I was significantly sexually harassed, sexually threatened and I was the victim of rape.
Perhaps you should read the quoted post to which I was responding. You may better understand.

You said 'who thinks they are going to get murdered by a colleague at their place of work in the military?' You cannot be serious.

 

[Niner]

According to the affidavit the charge is "conspiracy to corruptly alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal an object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the objects integrity or availability for use in a criminal proceeding."

Thanks! I will change my wording!

 

[swedeheart]

“Cheap”. You realize Ft Hood is 335 square miles (larger than the size of NYC) and has a population of something like 60k people? That solution isn’t going to be “cheap”, and that’s only one base.

I still fail to understand what, exactly, people are hoping to accomplish with cameras. What would cameras have prevented here? Like, it’s really easy to say “But there should have been cameras!!!!”... but how would cameras have changed this outcome? They might be an investigative tool after the fact, if they’re working, in the right location, and video retention is long enough.

So, similar to the strange statements invoking the 2009 shooting - how would cameras have changed the outcome of this situation?

"On 28 September 2018, Trump signed the Department of Defense appropriations bill. The approved 2019 Department of Defense discretionary budget is $686.1 billion. It has also been described as "$617 billion for the base budget and another $69 billion for war funding'."

(taken from google). with a 686 billion dollar budget, i'm struggling to understand how the military can't afford to put up a few cameras on the bases.

cameras hold people accountable for their actions.

 

[Ninja Bunny]

Vanessa Guillen Case Archive is updated.
Vanessa Guillen -TX- by amanda reckonwith

If you have trouble with that link, try this and scroll:
7/6/20 Cecily Brown Aguilar

Thank you for collecting things in one place. It’s a very useful resource to have and I’m grateful for your efforts.

 

[riolove77]

What is it that you guys want to know from a lawyer about CA’s Michigan cases?

 

[ShHolmz]

What is it that you guys want to know from a lawyer about CA’s Michigan cases?

EVERYTHING.!
Thank you.

 

[rkendmar]

‘The military’s #MeToo’: In wake of Vanessa Guillén death, servicewomen bear deep scars
For some women in uniform, the case is emblematic of a military culture that they say has downplayed or ignored allegations of sexual harassment and assault and created an atmosphere that pressures men and women to keep accusations quiet.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...illen-servicewomen-veterans/#comments-wrapper

 

[rkendmar]

Military needs to provide answers in the Vanessa Guillen case
"While there is much that the public still does not know about Guillen’s case, the circumstances surrounding her disappearance raise red flags. According to her family, Guillen had said that she was being sexually harassed at work — but she had not reported it, which suggests that she may not have trusted those in her chain of command. This inference is no stretch of the imagination, as sexual harassment, assault and rape in the U.S. military are as prevalent as ever, despite prevention efforts. A report by the Defense Department last year found that sexual assaults in the military had surged, driven by a 50 percent increase in assaults on women in uniform."
Military needs to provide answers in the Vanessa Guillen case

 

[jondaba]

"There’s work to be done to investigate Vanessa’s murder but I hope this is a wake up call for the army too, especially the leadership at Fort Hood".

What is there to investigate?????? Poor Vanessa was murdered by a psychopath on April 22. CA provided the details.
Do you need a congressional investigation into why it took two months to find the body?
Do you need a congressional investigation into why Vanessa did not report any sexual harrassment?
Telling Latinas not to go into the Army is stupider than telling Latinas to be careful of 20 year-old black men because one murdered her.
Prior to Vanessa's being murdered, what did the Army do wrong to her?

 

[thecrimesheet]

Not sure if this has been covered (I haven't checked out the thread since it had 15 pages) but I've been fixated on this hammer thing. Does anyone with military experience know if it's common that a hammer would be in an armory? If so, wouldn't someone else realize it was missing? I can't really imagine that there would be dozens of them laying around per armory.

I'm asking to see if premeditation was established, which would speak to a prior tumultuous relationship between VG and AR and so he brought his own weapon, or if this was a spur of the moment killing w/ a weapon of opportunity, ie: I'm angry and so here's this hammer and I'm going to attack. The hammer could play a key role in trying to figure that out.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MsBetsy]

"There’s work to be done to investigate Vanessa’s murder but I hope this is a wake up call for the army too, especially the leadership at Fort Hood".

What is there to investigate?????? Poor Vanessa was murdered by a psychopath on April 22. CA provided the details.
Do you need a congressional investigation into why it took two months to find the body?
Do you need a congressional investigation into why Vanessa did not report any sexual harrassment?
Telling Latinas not to go into the Army is stupider than telling Latinas to be careful of 20 year-old black men because one murdered her.
Prior to Vanessa's being murdered, what did the Army do wrong to her?

According to the article in the media thread, lawmakers said that after Guillen's case, many current and former service members shared their experiences of sexual assault and harrassment in the military and it shined a light on a "troubling reality."

They are asking that the Department of Defense conduct an independent investigation into Fort Hood's handling of the case.

Soon after Vanessa's body was found the army announced that a team of seven investigators were going to examine the SHARP program and assess whether the the command climate is supportive of soldiers reporting incidents and identify and problems with the program.

It may take a long time before we know whether they found any problems or whether or not they believe sexual harrassment was connected to the murder.

They may find that there is in fact a significant problem with reporting incidents of sexual harrassment but it had no connection to the case.

If there are witnesses who knew that Vanessa was being harassed, they may feel safer talking to investigators outside of the army.

Either way, it's clear that changes need to be made so hopefully in the end there will be some progress.

 

[thecrimesheet]

"There’s work to be done to investigate Vanessa’s murder but I hope this is a wake up call for the army too, especially the leadership at Fort Hood".

What is there to investigate?????? Poor Vanessa was murdered by a psychopath on April 22. CA provided the details.
Do you need a congressional investigation into why it took two months to find the body?
Do you need a congressional investigation into why Vanessa did not report any sexual harrassment?
Telling Latinas not to go into the Army is stupider than telling Latinas to be careful of 20 year-old black men because one murdered her.
Prior to Vanessa's being murdered, what did the Army do wrong to her?

IMO

I see what you're saying, but what really caught my eye was your last sentence: "Prior to Vanessa's being murdered, what did the Army do wrong to her?"

Do you think it's possible that as a young woman where sexual harassment is rampant on military bases, they had a duty to protect her from that behavior in the first place? If Vanessa confided in her family that she was afraid of coming forward because other women weren't treated well after they spoke out as survivors, that's on the military for allowing that kind of behavior and treatment to take place. If it's not investigating Vanessa's case as you mention specifically, it should be an investigation into how they allow harassment behavior to flourish.

These were just some articles I found on the matter, proving there's a problem that must be addressed. Women die every day at the hands of angry, controlling, and jealous men. That doesn't go away simply after putting on a US military uniform.

Inside Fort Hood's Prostitution Ring: May 2015
#IamVanessaGuillen
What I Wish I'd Known About Sexual Assault in the Military: the Atlantic

 

[MsBetsy]

Not sure if this has been covered (I haven't checked out the thread since it had 15 pages) but I've been fixated on this hammer thing. Does anyone with military experience know if it's common that a hammer would be in an armory? If so, wouldn't someone else realize it was missing? I can't really imagine that there would be dozens of them laying around per armory.

I'm asking to see if premeditation was established, which would speak to a prior tumultuous relationship between VG and AR and so he brought his own weapon, or if this was a spur of the moment killing w/ a weapon of opportunity, ie: I'm angry and so here's this hammer and I'm going to attack. The hammer could play a key role in trying to figure that out.

Thanks in advance!

I think someone with military experience said it was not uncommon that there would be tools, such as a hammer in the armory or at least in the building.

It's a good question, though. It doesn't make sense that there would just happen to be a hammer within his reach.

The attorney mentioned in one of her interviews that she asked CID about whether or not Robinsin was reprimanded for the missing hammer and was told no. I don't know at what point the hammer was discovered missing, though.

Imo