Vanessa Guillen's killing at Fort Hood leaves family grieving, grasping for clues

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/07/17/vanessa-guillens-family-struggles-answers-after-soldiers-slaying/ [login to see] /
Gloria Guillen’s fingers clenched her Rosary as she painfully described one of her last memories of her daughter — the moment the proud mother learned Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen of Fort Hood was going to be a bride.

Investigators believe a fellow soldier, Spc. Aaron David Robinson, beat Guillen to death with a hammer the morning of April 22. Authorities have accused Robinson’s 22-year-old girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar of Killeen, of helping Robinson dismember, burn and bury Guillen’s body about 20 miles away from the post.

Robinson fatally shot himself on July 1 when local authorities confronted him off post, Killeen police have said. Aguilar was charged in federal court with conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

Army Criminal Investigation Command investigators sat down with the Guillen family the day of Robinson’s death and told them the 20-year-old soldier had killed Guillen because she had seen a photo of Aguilar on his phone, recognized her as a woman married to another Fort Hood soldier, and threatened to report his affair, according to Khawam.

The family does not accept the Army’s explanation for a motive.

“Immediately, Vanessa’s dad said, ‘That’s not something Vanessa would do,’” Khawam said. The Guillen sisters in unison agreed that the investigators’ explanation was wrong.