aaron david robinson family speaks out

The Guillen family sought help from attorney Natalie Khawam, who has experience with cases involving the military. "This gruesome murder should never have happened.". "The way that he knew that it was Vanessa was because he described her hair to me. The Chief of Staff of the Army recently met with the Guilln family.. Aaron David Robinson. He joined the Army in October 2017, training as a 12B, Combat Engineer. At that time, I suspected something was up. She needs to be brought to justice.. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly. Aaron David Robinson, beat Guillen to death with a hammer the morning of April 22. Aaron David Robinson, a 20-year-old Army Specialist, was identified as the person of interest in Guillen's case. We keep demanding a congressional investigation! Cecily Aguilar, 22, helped Spc. Vanessa Guillen was killed April 22, the day of her disappearance, by Spc. Im her family! That's below him? "The plan was to go hiking whenever she got off work," he said. The Secretary of the Army at the time of Vanessa Guillen's disappearance, Ryan McCarthy, created an independent review panel, including investigators, lawyers and retired FBI agents, to look at the command climate at Fort Hood. She was murdered, inside one of the Army's largest military installations. They called local sheriffs out to the area; the Texas Rangers and Fort Hood CID soon followed. So I went back outside and I walked to the parking lot, and I saw her Jeep there. The criminal case against Aguilar is ongoing. "Our agents are working very closely with the Armed Forces Medical Examiner to expedite identification of the remains," Phelps said. Vanessa Guillen, said she has not heard from Governor Abbott or the Secretary of the Army following the death of her sister. He said 11 have been removed from their positions permanently, and all 21 have "black marks" on their records "that will stay with them." permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. 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. ", WATCH: Vanessa Guillen: Remember Her Name. According to the family, the Army said it never recovered Guillens cellphone and used phone records to read her last text message. We went to the motor pool [to] see if maybe she got locked in.". More:Civilian searcher says Army overlooked evidence after Vanessa Guillen's death. Well, Vanessa was that (perfect) person. "After subsequent investigation, another allegation of verbal harassment involving the same individual was discovered. The press conference is to discuss the Armys efforts to address the recent events at Fort Hood, according to a press release. Aaron David Robinson was a 20-year-old U.S. Army soldier who trained as a 12B, Combat Engineer. First published on July 2, 2020 / 10:25 PM. IE 11 is not supported. About two hours later, In the middle of a street, authorities converged on Robinson, who pulled out a gun and shot himself dead. Later that night, Army investigators questioned Aguilar, they say she admitted that Robinson had told her he killed Vanessa Guillen and that she saw her remains in the tough box that he had carted out of the arms room, where he told her he killed Guillen. Phelps on Thursday said, as reported previously, that Guillens identification card, wallet and the keys to her car and post apartment were later found in the armoury room where she had been earlier in the day. 2020 ElectionPoliticsArmyFort HoodRyan McCarthysexual assaultsexual harassment. Guillen was last seen at a parking lot in Fort Hood, where she was stationed, on April 22. "As close of friends as we were, she came to us about a lot of different stuff. Khawam earlier this week said a man at Fort Hood had walked in on Guillen while she was showering naked. Born and raised in Houston to immigrants from Mexico, Guillen was one of six children. "[Robinson] was like, 'Oh, I kept it professional; didn't say too much to her.' His death is still under investigation. KILLEEN, Texas (CBS) -- A Calumet City soldier was the main suspect in the murder of fellow soldier Vanessa Guillen, CBS 2 has learned. 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. Two days later, the military opened up a separate inquiry looking into allegations that Guillen was sexually harassed by a supervisor. ET on ABC. Fort Hood officials said that the human remains discovered recently have not been identified. After two days, the Army officially marked Vanessa Guillen as AWOL, or absent without official leave. On April 30, 2021, the Army announced that it had found Guillen had been sexually harassed by a superior, but that superior was not Robinson. To order However, no remain were located.. Vanessa Guillen of Fort Hood was going to be a bride. Dawn Gomez holds her 3-year-old granddaughter, Saryia Greer, who waves at Vanessa Guillen's mural painted by Alejandro "Donkeeboy" Roman Jr. on the side of Taqueria Del Sol, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Houston. Before the event, Natalie Khawam, an attorney representing Guillen's family, announced that CID officials told her that Robinson had murdered her in the unit armory on the day of her disappearance. Like, her laugh was very, very contagious. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Robinson then placed the deceased soldier in a box and brought her to the Leon River, according to the complaint. They filled out affidavits that said they had seen Vanessa at a different time from when she had actually departed the other arms room [controlled by Robinson], Secretary of the U.S. Army Ryan McCarthy has reportedlysaid. "We told them who to investigate from the beginning, and that's not what happened. But it was not so much for harassment; it was for harassment, but there is something more, she continued. 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. McCarthy first tweeted about Guilln in late June two months after her disappearance, and after Guillns murder began gathering national awareness. However, U.S. army officials on Thursday would still not release a timeline of the events before and following her disappearance, citing an active investigation. Army officials identify two suspects in case of missing Fort Hood soldier, Partial remains were found in Bell County earlier this week. Who doesnt fight?. ", Landy said Robinson acted "upset" that everybody kept "blowing up his phone.". Aguilar's lawyers have filed a motion to throw out the entire case and another motion to suppress the statements officers say she made. A lot of silence. "She didn't talk to too many people," Landy told "20/20." Aaron David Robinson, who was assigned to A. Vanessa Guillen was a private first class, so he technically ranked above her, though she was about to also become a specialist. Aguilar was interviewed on June 19. Phelps said the Army has no credible information or reports that Guillen was sexually assaulted. "When Houston went on lockdown [for COVID-19], she was really frustrated because the gyms were closed. Sheconfided to her family that it was Robinson. Investigators spoke to Robinson again and he let them search his phone. Aaron David Robinson, 20, who had allegedly walked in on Guillen while she was showering in a locker room and watched. 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. ", Betavious "Tay" Hightower was another one of Guillen's "closest friends," he said. Robinson sexually harassed Spc. I was just checking, but nothing. Contractors discovered the remains near the Leon River on June 30, 2020, authorities said. Aaron David Robinson, a suspect in the disappearance of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, died by suicide on Wednesday By People Staff Published on July 2, 2020 Investigators later learned Robinson's phone pinged in Belton, Texas, by a bridge near the Leon River, about a 30 minutes away from base in the early morning hours after Vanessa vanished. In 2007, a 25-year-old soldier was found dead of dehydration and hyperthermia four days after he disappeared during a solo training exercise testing on map-reading and navigation skills. ", Authorities said the investigation on Guillen's disappearance remains ongoing and that they will continue to be careful about the information being shared in order to avoid "an impact on prosecution and charges.". She hadn't been responding to texts or calls from family, either, and as day turned to night, Cruz and Vanessa's sister, Mayra Guillen, drove to Fort Hood. "But, I guess, apparently I'm kind of funny sometimes, and she'd crack up all the time. 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 Investigators brought a cadaver dog, which signaled that a body might have been thrown in the water. 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. "It's so important because it will bring the help my sister never obtained, it will bring the voice my sister never had.". Aguilar was charged with conspiracy to hide and destroy evidence in connection to Vanessa Guillen's death and was denied bond on July 14, 2020. LupeGuilln, 16, slammed McCarthy at a press conference last week for not inviting her to the July 10 meeting. She reports, writes and produces stories for NBC Latino and NBCNews.com. "I asked, 'Have you seen Guillen?' A Fort Hood soldier who authorities identified earlier Thursday as another suspect in Guillen's disappearance, E-4 Specialist Aaron David Robinson, allegedly told Aguilar that he killed a female soldier after hitting her in the head with a hammer, according to officials. "There was a lot of silence after that one. 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. Those efforts gained national and even some international attention in the past months. A Texas woman accused of helping mutilate and dispose of the body of a Fort Hood soldier who vanished this spring was charged Thursday, authorities said. Efflandt on Thursday added that he personally invited a team to the post earlier in the week to inspect its Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, or SHARP. Martin said Fort Hood authorities contacted the military police, who got in touch with local police, then brought in the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID). Damon Phelps, the lead investigator for the military, claimed that the alleged killer, Or to keep it anonymous, click here. The family of #VanessaGuillen filed a lawsuit yesterday, seeking $35M from the U.S. government. Military investigators said Guillen was bludgeoned with a hammer. "She had suspected it was gonna be a half-day. They later burned the clothes they were wearing during the process at their home. That brought me a bit of peace to my heart. 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. Then, he raced out of the room. Instead of Governor [of Texas Greg] Abbott, instead of the secretary of the Army, it is the president who is talking to me. Vanessa's mother Gloria Guillen said that her daughter had confided in her that she was being sexually harassed at Fort Hood but that she didn't report it due to fear of retribution and retaliation. She said she hoped publicizing such questions would push the Army to answer the familys pleas for transparency. Aguilar helped authorities pinpoint his location so that he could be arrested. Army investigators told the family they were doing everything they could to search for Guillen on and off the post in the weeks after her disappearance, but they provided no details or updates, the family said. 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. After a search began, police obtained Guillens phone records and saw that the last outgoing text message from her phone was to Robinsons cell phone. I am not nervous to talk with him because this needs to stop, she said. Nicole Acevedo is a reporter for NBC News Digital. Ghislaine Maxwell ordered held without bail on child sex-t Dad of crying infant that triggered Texas massacre 'never thought' gunman would shoot, Georgia player under fire after racist remark during 2023 NFL Draft on livestream, Megyn Kelly sports red MAGA-style hat in poolside pic, Gayle King says she doesnt have a desire to retire: I want more work, WNBA star Brittney Griner is heading to the Met Gala, Mariah Carey celebrates Moroccan and Monroes 12th birthday: My babies, NY Post Sports Reporter Zach Braziller breaks down the Knicks game 1 loss to the Heat, Elon Musk Tells Bill Maher Woke Mind Virus Is Dangerous On Real Time, Kendall Jenner rocks sheer top, fur mini skirt for date night with Bad Bunny. She had told me since she was 10 years old that she was going to the Army, since she was 10 years old.. 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, 20, died by suicide when authorities made contact with him, according to the Army. They just kept trying to pin it on me or Landy," Hightower said. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, an Iraq War veteran, is the Democratic lead sponsor. Cecily Aguilar, 22, of Killeen, was charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. [emailprotected]. Jessica Priest is an investigative reporter for USA TODAY, reach her at jpriest@gatehousemedia.com. When asked about why it took two hours to track him down, and how Robinson got a gun, LaBoeuf said "We want answers to that too. Watch the full story on "20/20" TONIGHT at 9 p.m. They seek $10 million for wrongful death and $25 million for personal injury. When they spoke to Aguilar, investigators said she claimed he was calling that night because she couldn't find her phone. Now, the Guillen family is planning for a funeral this month. Her family is still looking for answers as to why she was killed, and how her murderer escaped justice. "I was like, 'Man, I hopefully [will] see a tweet or something. Justice will be done.. He said that person, along with 20 others, are in the process of "being held accountable." Investigators spoke to over 300 soldiers in Vanessa Guillen's unit, including Hightower. ", Mayra Guillen said she "couldn't believe it.". Guillens family, joined by friends and strangers in the Killeen community, worked tirelessly to demand justice and a thorough search for the missing soldier. And it's like we could have did something, but we didn't know.". She is currently in custody awaiting her first court appearance. Khawam said she was told a third suspect was detained. Investigators previously had said they suspected foul play related to her disappearance.
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