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The family of murdered Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Gillen filed a $35 million civil lawsuit on Friday.
Gillen, a 20-year-old Army professional, was declared missing on April 22, 2020 from a base in Killeen, Texas. Weeks and months passed before her body was found dismembered, burned and buried under cement in several shallow graves. About 20 miles along the Leon River from Fort Her Hood, Benton, Texas, June 30, 2020.
Fellow Army expert Aaron Robinson, the prime suspect in her murder, then committed suicide while authorities pressed to arrest him.
Several investigations revealed that Gillen had been sexually harassed and assaulted on the job, and according to his sister’s affidavit, he had contemplated suicide but had no intention of doing anything against Fort Hood for fear of reprisal. Robinson allegedly beat Gillen to death in the armory, and Robinson’s civilian girlfriend Cecily Aguilar (the only person to face criminal charges after Gillen’s gruesome murder). A person later allegedly cut him up and helped hide his body.
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A new lawsuit, filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act on behalf of Gillen’s family on Friday, seeks $35 million in damages to the U.S. government based on sexual harassment, abuse, assault, rape, sodomy, and wrongful death. I am seeking compensation.
The lawsuit comes Thursday after a three-judge panel in San Francisco’s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the army colonel could proceed with a lawsuit against the former Air Force general over sexual assault allegations. Done. The court ruled that a 1950 Supreme Court ruling known as the Pheles Doctrine, which barred military personnel wounded while in active service from claiming damages from the federal government, was widely applied by the Pentagon to sexual assault and harassment. We have determined that the claim cannot be included.
“The hardest part was living in Killeen, being unemployed, searching houses on foot, fighting ARMYs who were supposed to protect my sister, being stalked, fearing for our own lives, doing the bare minimum. Seeking justice,” Guillen’s sister Mayra Guillen wrote in an affidavit attached to the lawsuit.
“ARMYs must be held accountable for their misconduct, how they handled the investigation early on, how they treated Vanessa, the nightmare they had to endure while trying to serve their country and family.” She wrote. There is a great emptiness in our hearts ever since.”
Guillen’s death and her family’s allegations that she was harassed and assaulted at a Texas base prompted former and active service members to come forward on social media using the hashtag #IAmVaessaGuillen about their experiences in the military. caused a movement. State and federal legislators have since passed legislation in Gillen’s honor that removes some powers from her commander and gives survivors more options to report.
Natalie Kawam, an attorney for the Gillen family, said they plan to file a federal lawsuit in California if the Army denies their allegations. Gillen told his mother that he experienced sexual harassment while undergoing field training at Fort Irwin in San Bernardino in 2019, the County, Texas Tribune reported. Friday’s lawsuit outlines two instances of Gillen being harassed as a soldier at Fort Hood. Wake up at night after field training exercises.
“This will be an opportunity for all victims to not only feel that they have a voice, but that they can be whole,” Kawam told The Associated Press of the lawsuit.
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Gillen’s shocking death brought attention to a series of other deaths, suicides, and crimes at Fort Hood.
In December 2020, Army leaders released the findings of an independent review board, admitting that Ford Hood’s command environment “conciled sexual harassment and assault.” The commander-in-chief was fired or suspended for the report, amid a massive leadership change at the base.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.