Texas woman pleads guilty to her role in Vanessa Guillen’s death

AUSTIN, Texas — A woman has pleaded guilty in a federal court in Texas for her role in Vanessa Guillen’s death.

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Cecily Aguilar, 24, has pleaded guilty to a count of accessory to murder after the fact and three counts of making a false statement or representation, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Federal and state authorities said that Aguilar had helped her boyfriend, Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, 20, kill, dismember and dispose of Guillen’s body in the woods, according to The Associated Press.

Aguilar was the only suspect arrested in connection to the murder of Guillen at a Texas military base in 2020, according to the AP.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Aguilar helped Robinson from April 22, 2020, through July 1, 2020. It was in order to help prevent Robinson from being charged and prosecuted for any crime. Aguilar also reportedly destroyed or changed information that was in a Google account owned by Robinson. Aguilar also made four materially false statements to federal investigators during the investigation into Guillen’s disappearance.

Robinson died by suicide on July 1, 2020. That was the same day Guillen’s remains were found, according to the AP.

Two weeks after Guillen’s remains were found, Aguilar had pleaded not guilty to three conspiracy charges. Officials said she allegedly then confessed to her role, according to the AP. A judge dismissed an attempt from her defense team to throw out the confession, stating that investigators didn’t “first read her Miranda rights.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that a sentencing date has not yet been set. Aguilar is facing a maximum possible penalty of 30 years in prison plus three years of supervised release along with a $1 million fine.

No further information has been released.

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