FORT HOOD, Texas – A gruesome affidavit from the FBI details the investigation surrounding the death of specialist Vanessa Guillen.
The information in the affidavit stems from an FBI investigation into Guillen’s disappearance, in addition to an interview with 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar, who has been charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence, conducted Tuesday.
Recommended Videos
Aguilar and 20-year-old Army Specialist Aaron Robinson, who fatally shot himself in Killeen on Wednesday, have been identified as the two suspects in Guillen’s death. A press release from Fort Hood identified Aguilar as the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier.
According to a criminal complaint, Aguilar was Robinson’s girlfriend and he shared an off-post residence with her.
Vanessa Guillen: A timeline of events and everything we know about her disappearance
According to the affidavit, Aguilar said Robinson struck Guillen in the head with a hammer multiple times on April 22 inside an arms room at Fort Hood, killing her.
Robinson then placed Guillen’s body inside a large “tough box” with wheels, which two witnesses at Fort Hood say they saw Robinson load into his vehicle the same day. They told investigators that the box appeared to be very heavy in weight when Robinson wheeled it out of the arms room.
Cell phone records show Robinson and Aguilar exchanged multiple phone calls on April 22, as late as 3:30 a.m. on April 23 and investigators said the locations of the phones during that time pinged “in the vicinity of FM 436 and and West Main Street in Belton,” which is “on or near a bridge.”
Records also showed Robinson’s phone “tracked along the Leon River in a northward direction,” on the night of April 22, and both Robinson and Aguilar’s phones were together again in the same area near the river on April 26.
Complaint: Missing Texas soldier Vanessa Guillen was killed at Fort Hood
Aguilar told investigators that Robinson took her out to a site near the Leon River on the evening of April 22 and showed her a box with wheels that contained the body of a woman who Aguilar identified as Guillen.
According to the affidavit, Robinson and Aguilar proceeded to dismember the body using a “hatchet or ax” and a “machete type knife” to remove Guillen’s limbs and head.
The pair then attempted to burn the body but “the body would not burn completely” so they placed the remains in three separate holes and covered them up, the affidavit states.
On Tuesday, contractors working on a fence near the Leon River in Belton discovered what appeared to be human remains. “Texas Rangers searched the area and identified scattered human remains that appeared to have been placed into a concrete-like substance and buried,” according to the affidavit.
The attorney for Vanessa Guillen’s family, Natalie Khawam, said that human remains found Tuesday near the Leon River in Bell County are believed to be Guillen’s and that her death was a result of sexual harassment in the military.
Military officials, who held a press conference Thursday, did not confirm those claims and said the remains that were discovered have not yet been positively identified.
If convicted, Aguilar faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. She remains in custody and is expected to appear in federal court in Waco early next week, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
*editors note: A previous version of this story stated that Aguilar was Robinson’s estranged wife, which is incorrect. Aguilar is described as Robinson’s girlfriend and the estranged wife of a former Fort Hood soldier.
More stories related to Vanessa Guillen’s disappearance:
Body found believed to be Vanessa Guillen’s, suspect killed himself, family attorney says
Army suspects foul play in Fort Hood soldier’s disappearance, congresswoman says
Human remains found near Central Texas river during search for Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen
Man wanted in connection to Fort Hood criminal investigation fatally shoots self, Killeen police say
Salma Hayek joins search for missing Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen