WACO, Texas — Cecily Aguilar officially entered a not guilty plea last week on an 11-count federal indictment related to the murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen.
Aguilar, 23, is the woman accused of helping her then-boyfriend, Spc. Aaron Robinson, dismember and dispose Guillen's body near the Leon River last year. She was originally charged on July 14, 2020 with two counts of conspiracy of tampering with documents or proceedings and one count of conspiracy to tamper with documents or proceedings for her role in Guillen's death and disappearance.
On July 13, a federal grand jury re-indicted her on 11 counts:
Count No. 1: Conspiracy to tamper with documents or proceedings
Count No. 2 and No. 3: Tampering with documents or proceedings
Count No. 4 to No. 6: Accessory after the fact
Count No. 7: Destruction, alteration or falsification of records in a federal investigation
Count No. 8 to No. 11: False statement or representation
For in-depth descriptions of each count, read the court document here.
Robinson reportedly killed Guillen with a hammer in an armory room on Fort Hood April 22, 2020. Her body was found dismembered about two months later on June 30, 2020.
On early July 1, 2020, Robinson shot and killed himself as Killeen police closed in on him after he left Fort Hood.
On June 13 this year, Aguilar's motion to throw out her confession was denied by a judge. Her attorneys tried arguing that she was illegally detained and was never advised of her Miranda Rights, but the judge said she acknowledged several times on camera that she was not being held against her will.
Aguilar's attorneys filed a second motion to have her indictment dismissed altogether. The motion argues that the indictment lacks specificity, fails to state an offense and charges the same offense in more than one count. Aguilar’s defense argues the indictment includes no other alleged factual basis or allegations.
A decision on this motion hasn't been decided yet.