WASHINGTON D.C. – Vanessa Guillen’s family continues to demand justice for the murdered soldier. On July 30th family, friends, and supporters marched from the U.S. Capitol to the White House in support of the #IAmVanessaGuillen bill.
According to KTXS, the proposed bill would allow service members to report allegations of harassment to an independent agency. Current policies require harassment claims to be reported to superiors.
“This will save lives. Our military deserves better. They deserve to be protected. They fight for us every day. We fight for them," said Guillen family attorney Natalie Khawam.
According to Vanessa’s family, she did not report the sexual harassment she endured at the hands of a superior for fear of retaliation. Vanessa was brutally murdered on April 22 inside Fort Hood and her remains were found mutilated nearly two months later in Bell County.
In the weeks following Vanessa's disappearance, hundreds of current and former service members shared their own experiences with harassment as they served their country. Many of them shared the retaliation and further harassment they faced after they disclosed to their superiors.
To this date her family has not received the answers they seek regarding her disappearance. According to authorities, Vanessa was killed by a fellow soldier on base and he was able to clean the crime scene up and transport her body off base without being detected.
The suspect, identified as Aaron Robinson, and his girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, then hid her body parts along the Leon River. Robinson committed suicide before he could be apprehended and Garcia is currently in police custody,
Vanessa’s sisters have been vocal about their sister’s case since she first disappeared. During the event held on Thursday, 16-year-old Lupe Guillen became emotional as she spoke about carrying out her sister’s legacy and protect other military members.
"This is for Vanessa," she said. "Her leadership has to be held accountable... they didn't protect my sister. They didn't respect my sister. Instead, they killed her. They sexually harassed her."
The bill was introduced to the House on Thursday and the Guillen family is working with U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia to ensure it is approved by Congress.
"We will not let this go," said Khawam. "We are here to demand justice for Vanessa."
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