Cecily Aguilar sentenced to 30 years in Vanessa Guillen case

Cecily Aguilar, who pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three other charges in the 2020 murder of U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas, confirmed Monday.

“Our hope is that today’s sentence brings a sense of relief and justice to the Guillen family, who have endured such pain throughout these past few years,” U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said in a statement. “Ms. Aguilar’s actions were indefensible, and she will now face the maximum penalty for the choices she made. I’m grateful for our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly on this case, as their dedication was essential in bringing this defendant to justice.”

Aguilar faced sentencing in Waco, Texas, for her role in the 2020 murder of Guillén. Aguilar, who pleaded guilty in 2022 to one count of accessory to murder after the fact and three other charges, faced a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Aguilar was indicted in 2021 on 11 federal charges of assisting her then-boyfriend, Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, in corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating and concealing the body of Vanessa Guillen, in an attempt to prevent Robinson from being charged for bludgeoning Guillén to death with a hammer in the armory of the Fort Cavazos military base in April of 2020. Her remains were discovered two months later.

When authorities attempted to approach Robinson in 2020 after cellphone records revealed Robinson was the last person in contact with Guillén prior to her murder, Robinson died by suicide. Aguilar was quickly arrested and charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence, and was indicted 12 days later.

This is a developing story.