FORT HOOD, Texas — A document from the Texas Department of Public Safety that was filed in federal court reveals the motive behind why Fort Hood Spc. Vanessa Guillen was murdered in 2020 by fellow soldier Spc. Aaron Robinson.
The document, filed on May 19 this year, describes an interview with Cecily Aguilar, the only person charged in Guillen's murder. At one point, authorities asked Aguilar why her boyfriend, Robinson, would want to kill Guillen. She told authorities he did it because Guillen saw a photo of Aguilar on Robinson's phone, the document states.
"Guillen saw Robinson's cell phone lock screen, which contained a picture of Aguilar," the document states. "He told her he was worried about getting in trouble for violating the Army's fraternization rules since Aguilar was still married to another soldier and he hit Guillen in the head with a hammer."
Aguilar, who was indicted with 11 counts by a grand jury last July, was dating Robinson, despite being married to another soldier, Keon Aguilar.
Guillen was killed on April 22, 2020 on post by Robinson, according to a FBI criminal complaint. Robinson, with the help of Aguilar, later dismembered Guillen's body and buried her remains near the Leon River in Bell County, the complaint alleges.
Guillen's remains were later found on June, 30, 2020. The next day, Robinson shot and killed himself, which left people wondering why he murdered her if they didn't have any connection to each other.
"Robinson would go into moods in which he would not be his normal self and have a 'tic,'" Aguilar said, according to the document.
Authorities later interviewed a Bell County Jail inmate who Aguilar spoke to about Guillen's murder, the document states. Per the document, the inmate said Aguilar told her that "[Robinson] snapped, that he had an image in his head. He saw himself [kill Guillen] and wanted to do it."
The Texas DPS document reveals interviews authorities had with Aguilar, Robinson and others, as well as details aspects about Aguilar's statements. These details can be found below:
Aguilar's 'confession'
Prior to revealing the motive behind Guillen's murder, Aguilar spoke to authorities multiple times during the search, according to the document. Throughout, she claimed she was at home the night Guillen disappeared and that Robinson was with her, the document states. However, the day Guillen's body was found, Aguilar told authorities a different story, according to the document.
She explained that she and Robinson had an argument around midnight the night Guillen disappeared, per the document. As a way to cope, Robinson drove her around and stopped multiple places throughout the night before they returned to her apartment at 5 a.m., the document adds.
"One of her supposed coping mechanisms was to drive around and star gaze," the document states. "She claimed she did not want to be looked at differently for having a mental illness issue and therefore did not admit to the drive originally."
However, at that point, authorities told her that they could tell she was lying and "pointed out the smell in the [interview] room ... was that of human remains" from when they found Guillen's body earlier that day, the document states.
"I asked Aguilar to start the story over and tell the truth this time. She then asked if I would like her to write it down or tell it to me, to which I told her to tell me what happened," the detective says in the document.
Aguilar told authorities "Robinson killed the girl," the document states. She proceeded to tell authorities how Robinson took her out to the Leon River and "showed me her," the document adds.
She also claimed she didn't know Robinson was taking her to the Leon River and that he held a gun to her head to help him dispose of Guillen's body while there, the document states. Authorities said she was lying about that detail, per the document:
"Aguilar further explained she bought two bags for $10 after querying 'concrete for sale' on Facebook marketplace. She got the idea to buy the concrete that way from watching the show CSI/Criminal Minds and believed she would not leave a 'paper trail.' ... During the conversation about the concrete, Aguilar said they used the concrete both nights. I realized this contradicted her claim of not knowing why she was going to the Leon River the first night and asked her to clarify. Aguilar then said they only used the concrete on the second night. I later learned Aguilar bought the concrete the first night, prior to even going to the Leon River, thus she lied about Robinson forcing her at gunpoint while at the location."
Aguilar told authorities she then removed Guillen's body from the government-owned tote Robinson carried her in because "Robinson didn't want to," the document states. She told them how she then dismembered Guillen's body and burned her remains, along with Guillen's clothes and the government tote, per the documents.
She told authorities they returned to the location a second night to finish dismembering Guillen's body, as well as burying her bones in the ground and covering it with concrete, the document states.
"Aguilar and Robinson placed the bones in three or four holes and thought they would not be discovered for a couple of years," the document states.
Robinson escapes military custody, kills self
While Aguilar told authorities the events that happened the night Guillen disappeared, Robinson was under surveillance by authorities on Fort Hood, per the documents.
While Aguilar was with authorities, she was asked "to get Robinson to see if he will talk about the murder by telling him that she was scared and wanted to turn herself in," the document adds.
"Robinson eventually began to admit culpability after Aguilar asked, 'What are we going to do if we get caught?' Robinson replied, 'I don't know,' Aguilar then said, 'I'm going to tell them the truth. I can't keep doing this,' to which he said, 'okay.' Robinson went on to say he was in a conference room and he did not want Aguilar to abandon him," the document states.
Around 10:10 p.m. on June 30, 2020, authorities were notified that Robinson managed to elude authorities and get off post, the document states.
While in custody, Aguilar also continued to talk to Robinson as authorities searched for him, the document adds.
"The two discussed turning themselves in together and Robinson said that he would if she would meet with him first," the document states. "They also discussed news reports from that day saying officers had recovered human remains near the Leon River in Belton, to which Robinson said, 'baby they found pieces... they found pieces!'"
Authorities eventually found Robinson in the area of 5705 E. Rancier Ave. in Killeen after midnight, the document states. When officers with the Killeen Police Department approached him, Robinson pulled out a pistol and shot himself in the head, the document adds.
'I'm sorry,' Aguilar says to the Guillen family
Aguilar went with authorities to the Leon River shortly after Robinson killed himself, the document states. She accompanied them to help locate all of Guillen's remains, the document adds.
While helping find her remains, authorities asked what Aguilar would like to tell Guillen's family. She replied, "That I'm sorry, sorry I didn't speak up, sorry they lost their daughter too soon," the document states.
Authorities searched the armory room a little over two months after Guillen disappeared
Robinson was the last person to see Guillen. Per an interview with Robinson, they were both working at the armory room on Fort Hood the day she disappeared, the DPS document states.
The document makes no mention of anyone searching the armory room until July 9, 2020, which is a little over two months since Guillen disappeared and days after her body was found.
When they did, they found traces of blood in the room Robinson worked in, as well as a toolkit that was missing a hammer, the document states. This launched a secondary search by the Army CID.
Aguilar's husband told his Army supervisors about Robinson killing Guillen before her body was found
On July 10 authorities interviewed Keon Aguilar, the estranged-husband of Cecily Aguilar. Keon Aguilar told authorities that he spoke with his wife regarding Robinson being a suspect in Guillen's disappearance. He also said he talked about her involvement before June 30, 2020.
"That was actually the day that she told me that Robinson had took her to bury a body after he had cut it up or something like that," Keon Aguilar told authorities, according to the document.
When asked what day that was, he said he believed his wife told him Robinson dismembered Guillen's body on May 8, 2020.
"Keon stated he told one of his supervisors... Robinson had killed Guillen, and 'they' had cut up her body," the document states. "This was after 05/08/2020, but before Keon's discharge from the Military." It's unclear when Keon was discharged.
Robinson had a 'hit list' and played 'hide and seek' with a weapon
During an interview with Robinson on May 19, 2020, authorities asked him about a firearm he had, according to the document. More particularly, stories the Army CID heard about Robinson having a firearm.
"When asked, Robinson said he owned a weapon that he used to play hide and seek with [Aguilar's husband]," the document states. "He used the 'cleared' weapon to find PFC Aguilar. When he found PFC Aguilar's hiding spot, he stated, 'Ha, I found you' and point the weapon at him."
The document also reveals Robinson had a "hit list."
"Robinson also spoke of a 'hit list' he had, but claimed never to have threatened to kill someone," the document states. "Robinson further said he did not hate any Non-Commissioned Officers or any other soldiers he worked with."
Texas DPS didn't provide any names on the hit list in the document, including whether or not Guillen was on it.