Bell County Jail/US Army Cecily Aguilar/Vanessa Guillen
Cecily Aguilar, who was charged as an accomplice in the murder of Vanessa Guillen, is still awaiting trial in her case today. She faced her most recent hearing in April 2021, and a new trial date was not set.
Aguilar is now 23 years old and she is jailed at the McLennan County Jail in Waco, Texas, according to her prison records. She was initially incarcerated in Bell County Jail, but she was later transferred to the Waco lockup.
Aguilar is accused of helping Robinson hide Guillen’s remains and impeding the police investigation into the 20-year-old Army specialist’s disappearance and murder, according to The New York Times.
The case was first examined on ABC 20/20 in a two-hour special, “I Am Vanessa,” which aired September 11, 2020. Now, 20/20 is taking a fresh look at the case, and speaking to her fiancé and family members.
Here’s what you need to know:
Aguilar’s Trial Has Been Delayed 4 Times & Guillen’s Family Said They Need Closure in the Case
NEWS UPDATE: MUG SHOT OF CECILY ANNE AGUILAR! Arrested today for the connection to the disappearance of #VanessaGuillen ! We need justice! #JusticeForVanessaGuillen
The trial for Aguilar has been delayed four times, and at her last court appearance April 20, 2021, a new trial date was not set, according to ABC 25. Attorneys on both sides of the case said they needed more time to prepare their arguments before moving forward to trial, the news station reported, but Guillen’s family members said they need answers.
“To hold those accountable, and to know what happened to my sister…what was the motive. And if they’re actually investigating what’s going on at Fort Hood,” Lupe Guillen told the news station.
She continued, describing the emotional toll the disappearance took on the family.
“I feel all the emotions come years later, months later. Like right now I feel like everything is just, now I can comprehend everything that happened because at that moment we were just trying to find her, we were just trying to get answers,” Lupe Guillen told the news station.
Here is Aguilar’s McLennan County Jail record:
McLennan County JailCecily Aguilar prison record
VINELink shows Aguilar’s transfer from Bell County Jail to McLennan County.
That record is here:
VINELinkCecily Aguilar prison record
Aguilar and Robinson were living together at the time of Guillen’s murder, and USA Today reported Robinson called Aguilar to confess to the murder.
Guillen’s Family Attorney Said Vanessa Discovered an Affair Between Robinson & Aguilar
Natalie Khawam, Guillen’s family attorney, told ABC News that Guillen had discovered an affair between Robinson and Aguilar, who was the estranged wife of a fellow soldier. Aguilar and Robinson were living together at the time of Guillen’s murder, the news outlet reported.
Authorities said Robinson called Aguilar and confessed to killing Guillen with a hammer, according to USA Today. Before Aguilar disclosed Robinson’s alleged confession, she told investigators she and Robinson went for a drive that night to look at the stars.
Khawam told the Army Times Robinson contacted his girlfriend “to help him bury her bloody body.”
“At first they tried to set her on fire, but she wouldn’t burn. Then they dismembered this beautiful U.S. soldier’s body with a machete,” she added.
Cellphone records indicated Robinson and Aguilar spoke on the phone multiple times around the time of Aguilar’s disappearance, the article said. Robinson had told investigators he was with Aguilar at the time Guillen disappeared, and the records discredited his alibi, according to ABC News.