Telemundo Podcast ‘Fort Hood,’ Covers Vanessa Guillén Murder
It has been more than a year since the death of Army Spc
Photo: U.S. Army
It has been more than a year since the death of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén, 20, She was last seen alive in Fort Hood, Texas on April 22 and her remains were found near the base on June 30. Telemundo, in conjunction with The Story Lab, has launched a brand-new podcast that covers the murder of Army soldier Vanessa Guillén. She was allegedly killed by fellow soldier Aaron Robinson on April 22, 2020, Robinson later died by suicide when police came to arrest him.
Guillén’s death prompted widespread and high-profile protests regarding the culture surrounding women at Fort Hood, resulting in a military investigation that not only concluded that Guillén had experienced ongoing sexual harassment, but also led to the firing of everyone in her chain of command. Her death sparked the viral hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen where women in the military shared their own experiences with sexual harassment. The “I Am Vanessa Guillén Act” is a bipartisan bill aimed at creating a more confidential reporting system. It would also make sexual harassment within the military a punishable crime and permit sexual harassment or assault survivors to file claims within the Department of Defense for compensation.
“This is a consequential story that touches on critical issues in our country,” Telemundo Network News president Luis Fernandez said, according to Deadline. “It’s a revealing exposé and a necessary investigation. Noticias Telemundo, with The Story Lab, believe this important story deserved a deeper examination and this format allows us to do just that.”
The limited podcast series from Telemundo is titled Fort Hood: The Vanessa Guillén Case, and will feature seven half-hour episodes, the first of which premiered on October 28, 2021. La Casa De Las Flores star Cecilia Suarez narrates the series, which is available in both English and Spanish, and discusses the details of Vanessa’s disappearance and murder, as well as the problematic past of the Fort Hood installation, which has been the subject of many abuse allegations, and numerous disappearances.
The podcast features never-before-heard interviews with Guillén’s family and friends, detailing the events leading up to her disappearance and murder, as well as the handling of the case by the military and the media. It also touches on the #MeToo movement and some of the specific challenges of Latinx soldiers training and/or stationed at Fort Hood.
According to the military investigation conducted after Vanessa’s death, she had reported multiple instances of sexual harassment to her superiors, who failed to launch an investigation into her allegations. However, the investigation did not conclude that the harassment was directly related to her murder, even though it was found that Robinson had sexually harassed another soldier.
Robinson’s girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, was indicted on 11 federal charges In July 2021, related to her being an accomplice in the murder. She reportedly helped Robinson hide Vanessa’s remains, after he reportedly killed her with a hammer, and dismembered and burned her body.
Listen to Fort Hood: The Vanessa Guillén Case on Telemundo.com or Spotify. New episodes will be released every Thursday.
