Army finally admits Vanessa Guillén was sexually harassed in new report, several more officers disciplined
Vanessa Guillén was sexually harassed by a supervisor before she was killed by a different soldier last year, the U.S. Army confirmed in a report released Friday.
Guillén’s family had long maintained the 20-year-old was a victim of sexual harassment before she was killed on April 22, 2020, at Fort Hood in Texas.
However, the two groups still disagree on whether Spc. Aaron Robinson, the man accused of killing Guillén, harassed her prior to her death. Army investigators concluded that Robinson harassed a different female soldier, but Guillén’s family says he was one of multiple soldiers who harassed Guillén before she was killed.
Robinson died by suicide July 1, 2020, as police closed in. Guillén’s body was found days earlier outside Fort Hood. A private first class at the time of her death, Guillén was posthumously promoted to specialist.
The Army investigation also resulted in 13 more officers and non-commissioned officers being disciplined, with six relieved of their commands and 11 receiving official reprimands. In total, 21 military members have now been disciplined in connection with Guillén’s death.
Friday’s report was the result of a months-long investigation helmed by Gen. John Murray, commanding general of the Army Futures Command. The inquiry was launched in September 2020 and did not consider criminal charges. The FBI, along with the Army Criminal Investigation Division, are still examining evidence to that end.
The unnamed supervisor harassed Guillén on at least two occasions, once proposing a threesome and once observing Guillén while she was “engaged in personal hygiene” and partially shielded by trees, according to the report.
That supervisor also singled Guillén out for criticism, often threatening her and other soldiers, the investigation found.
Guillén reported the harassment to superiors, but no action was taken, the report said. Investigators also criticized the Army’s sexual harassment protocol, the latest in a series of documents and personal accounts taking issue with the policy.
“We, the Guillén family and I, have found many inconsistencies in this report,” family attorney Natalie Khawam told the Austin American-Statesman. “Vanessa’s case was severely mishandled. We are upset that there’s a lot of redactions and aren’t being provided the names, especially the soldiers that were sexually harassing her.”
In the months following Guillén’s death, Fort Hood was exposed as a hub of harassment and violence. In December, after 25 people at the base died within 12 months, 14 senior officers were fired or suspended.
