[5], Later that evening, at around 8:30p.m., authorities re-interviewed Cecily Anne Aguilar, a local woman who was the estranged wife of a soldier at Fort Hood. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. A makeshift memorial for U.S. Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen at Power House Gym in Houston in August 2020. [2][23] Aguilar told police that Robinson had confessed to her that he had killed a female soldier at Fort Hood. (Bell County Jail). According to court documents, from April 22, 2020 through July 1, 2020, Aguilar assisted Army Specialist Aaron Robinson in corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating and concealing evidence that is, the body of Vanessa Guillen in order to prevent Robinson from being charged with and prosecuted for any crime, said a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas. They just assumed the worst and let it go., Gregory Morales Pv2 Gregory Wedel Morales, who was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, had been missing since Aug. 20, 2019. Fort Hood Restricts Base Access After Shooting Incident 7 Feb 2021 Military.com | By Matthew Cox Army officials at Fort Hood, Texas tightened the base's gate security to restrict access. The tip that led authorities to his remains came in days later. When they began fighting, Roy opened fire. Vanessa Guillen: More charges filed against alleged accomplice in Fort Sawyer, 29, was found unresponsive at his post residence on March 5, Stars and Stripes reported. [40], Guilln's family called for justice and improvement of the way claims of sexual harassment are handled by the military. Her suspected killer was fellow soldier Spc. Specialist Guillens family has raised allegations that she had been sexually harassed before she was killed. A Year of Heartbreak and Bloodshed at Fort Hood - New York Times Wedel last spoke to her son Aug. 19, 2019, when he called her asking for gas money, she told the Post. He had been deployed in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve from May 2018 to January 2019. As long as I keep learning from my mistakes and Morta had been an Army private since last September, when he entered as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic. Spc. His skeletal remains were found June 19 in a field about four miles from the base. 2014 Fort Hood shootings - Wikipedia Here are some of the tragic deaths that have plagued the base in recent months: Hogan, 19, and Peak Jr., 21, were both killed in a crash just north of Georgetown on Feb. 1, CBS Austin reported. People wishing to remain anonymous will be honored to the degree allowable under the law and the information will be held in the strictest confidence allowable, Army officials said. Her car keys, barracks room key, identification card and wallet were later found in the armory room where she was working earlier in the day, a CID news release said. This story has been shared 108,209 times. Among the senior leaders disciplined were Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, former Deputy Commanding General of III Corps, and Col. Ralph Overland and Command Sgt. All those men and women in our service suffering from sexual harassment, suffering from sexual assault because they report it yet they take it as a joke. No further details have been released. [5][23] The area had previously been searched by Texas Rangers, detectives, and cadaver dogs on June20 after a burn mound was discovered nearby. Additionally, his only known vehicle was located on base at his units parking lot.. According to Fox 7 in Austin, Rosecrans had been shot four times. A witness told investigators that Specialist Guillen left the arms room where she had been working and went to the arms room controlled by Specialist Robinson to confirm serial numbers for weapons and equipment, the complaint said. Our priority right now is to take care of his family, ensuring they have all the resources they need during this critical time.. Berg told the station Olivares and Falcon used his sons cellphone after he was killed. Fort Hood officials said in an update Sunday that "Sewell's family confirmed she is safe and with extended family." By May Jeong Photography by Devin Oktar Yalkin July 6, 2021 PART ONE: THE MYSTERIES The numbers are distressing. Her disappearance nonetheless prompted multiple investigations into sexual harassment on the base, as well as calls for a congressional probe into the way her disappearance and death were handled. Elder Fernandes Army Sgt. Aguilar was reported to be the girlfriend of Aaron David Robinson, a specialist ranked enlisted soldier who was one of the last known people to see Guilln on the day of her disappearance and who had previously been interviewed by investigators. Morales skeletal remains were found June 19, days before Guillens body was found, in a field about four miles from the base. Officials identified the soldier as 26-year-old Spc. Each of us in the battalion are grateful for having known him, and we collectively grieve his loss.. Published October 12, 2021 9:28pm EDT. . Hockin had been at the Texas base since July 2017, where he was assigned to the 91st Engineer Battalion. Ms. Aguilar told investigators that Specialist Robinson had picked her up late on April 22 or early on April 23 at the gas station where she worked. [9] In early June, Guilln's mother told reporters she did not trust the Army's handling of the investigation and her attorney, Natalie Khawam,[17] said she believed the family was "being kept in the dark"[16] because few details had been released regarding the disappearance. Washington CNN The Army announced Tuesday that 14 senior officers will be punished following a probe that was initiated after the murder of a soldier and several other deaths at the Army's. Fernandes, a native of the Republic of Cabo Verde, is a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade, authorities said. Interest in the case has been recently rekindled by the Netflix documentary I Am Vanessa Guillen, released on Nov. 17, which examines her life and death and follows her familys journey for justice. Army investigators detained Specialist Robinson in the killing of Specialist Guillen just hours after her remains were found, but a series of missteps allowed him to flee, then fatally shoot himself, according to an Army report released on April 30, 2021. No charges have been filed against the driver, the news station said. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time. Activists called for systematic changes in how the military handles reports of sexual harassment and assault. If you cant say why he murdered her, you cant say he didnt sexually harass her, family attorney Natalie Khawam said. Disciplinary measures were also taken against soldiers and leaders assigned below brigade level, however the Army does not, as a matter of policy, "release the names of the battalion level and below commanders and leaders who received administrative action. October 13, 2021 / 5:33 PM / CBS DFW FORT HOOD, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - U.S. Army officials at Fort Hood have identified the soldier who was found dead Saturday, Oct. 13 behind his company barracks. Aguilar is charged with federal crimes in connection with Guillen's April 22 death. Vanessa Guillen, 20, vanished April 22, 2020, from Fort Hood, where she was stationed and worked as a small arms and artillery repairer. Thousands of soldiers searched in buildings, barracks, fields, training areas, lakes and trails at Fort Hood. A new independent report details widespread, systemic problems at Fort Hood, Texas, including a culture that allows sexual assault in the ranks. The military judge sentenced the accused to. The sergeants identification was found with the body. Looted Kandinsky work restored to Jewish heirs fetches $45M An autopsy will be performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas and the incident is under investigation. [2], Aguilar was arrested by Texas Rangers and held at the Bell County Jail. [49], On January26, 2022, President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order that established sexual harassment as a specific offense under the UCMJ.[50]. He said it "forced us to take a critical look at our systems, our policies, and ourselves. Fort Hood soldier found dead behind barracks, investigation underway Officials identified the soldier as 26-year-old Spc. Because his death occurred off-base, the Killeen Police Department is investigating his killing. Maxwell Hockin. His skeletal remains were found June 19, 2020, in a Killeen field about four miles from the base, and authorities say foul play was involved in his death. Peak, of Mount Dora, Florida, entered the Army in June 2017 as an ammunition specialist. Specialist Robinson later said he read her the serial numbers and gave her paperwork, according to court documents. The People First Task Force briefed reporters Friday on the many changes . Wardrobe, who was found lying in the front yard of a home, had been shot repeatedly. Here's what we know about 8 of the soldiers who died this year at Fort On July 2, a charge was brought against another soldier at Fort Hood, Aaron Robinson, who killed himself. Police reopen case into Fort Hood soldier's death - Spectrum News A long-awaited U.S. Army investigation released in April determined she had been sexually harassed by a supervisor, but the incidents of harassment were not related to her murder. The Killeen Daily Herald reported that Roy had allegedly used a gun to threaten Wardrobe, who separated from the Army in January. Charges Filed in Fort Bragg Beheading Case - Rolling Stone Elder Fernandes, 23, was last seen by fellow Fort Hood soldiers Aug. 17, 2020, at an off-base home in Killeen, Texas. He was a patriot who volunteered to serve our great country and we will always be grateful for his steadfast dedication to family, friends and fellow Soldiers. The Army blamed officials for letting Guillns killer Spc. (U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command). Vanessa Guillen, 20, vanished April 22, 2020, from Fort Hood, where she was stationed and worked as a small arms and artillery repairer. Vanessa Guillen: Army confirms sexual harassment of slain soldier as 21 disciplined at Fort Hood By Crystal Bonvillian, Cox Media Group National Content Desk May 04, 2021 at 1:50 pm PDT NOW. Investigators tasked with analyzing failures at Fort Hood, Texas, pointed to NCOs perpetuating a culture of fear. Maj. Ryan McLane and I would like to express our deepest condolences to Anthonys family and friends. Jun 14, 2021. What to Know About the Death of Vanessa Guillen Published: Oct. 12, 2021 at 4:48 PM PDT FORT HOOD, Texas (KWTX) - Specialist Maxwell Hockin, 26, a soldier stationed at Fort Hood, was found dead behind his company barracks over the weekend, according to officials at Fort Hood. . A memorial at her home was surrounded by angels and figures of the Virgin Mary, which Specialist Guillen wore on a gold necklace that she never removed. His death is being investigated as a homicide. Her death cast a harsh spotlight on the base and its culture, particularly for its handling of sexual assault and harassment, as she told her family that she had been harassed at the base. Fort Hood: Army punishes 14 senior officers after murder and other Fort Hood soldier found dead behind company barracks - ABC13 Houston Spc. [3][4][5], Cecily Aguilar, a local woman identified by authorities as Robinson's girlfriend, was taken into custody and is alleged to have assisted him in dismembering and burying Guilln's body. Jovino Jamel Roy, 22, of Coppers Cove, Texas, is charged with murder in the March 23, 2020, killing of Michael Steven Wardrobe, 22, in Killeen, Texas. Fernandes, who had reported sexual abuse prior to his. Her case inspired protests and led the Army to discipline more than a dozen officials. His awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. By Marlene Lenthang October 13, 2021, 9:15 AM 2:25 On Location: February 24, 2023 Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. An independent panel concluded last December that Fort Hood leaders did not properly address high rates of sex assault, harassment and drug use at the base, and that Army investigators were understaffed and inexperienced. A probe into the implementation of the bases Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, or SHARP, is ongoing.