Vanessa Guillén's family vows to keep fighting after Army firings
The family of murdered Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén on Tuesday commended the Army for suspending or firing 14 leaders at Fort Hood after an investigation into sexual assault, harassment, suicide and murder at the Texas post. But the family said the fight wasn't over, and pleaded for Congress to pass legislation that addresses how the military responds to reports of sexual assault and harassment.
Guillén's older sister, Mayra Guillén, said her family was "satisfied" with the results of the investigation, which was prompted by Guillén's death. "There were individuals that we asked for them to be removed and they have been removed," Mayra said at a news conference in Houston, Texas.
Guillén disappeared from Fort Hood on April 22. Her body was found outside the post on June 30.
Specialist Aaron Robinson, a suspect in her murder, died by suicide on July 1 as law enforcement tried to take him into custody. Guillén's family accused Robinson of sexually harassing her, but the Army has said there is no evidence backing the accusation.
Vanessa's younger sister Lupe Guillén said her sister did not report the alleged sexual harassment because "she was afraid," and she urged the public to support the "I am Vanessa Guillén Act." As CBS News previously reported, the act would allow service members to report sexual harassment and assault to a third party and make sexual harassment a crime within the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
"Please, I ask the public that is watching this, I ask everyone who hears about Vanessa's name or hears about sexual violence in the military or anywhere to endorse the act because this will keep my sister's legacy alive," Lupe Guillén said. "It will save lives."
Natalie Khawan, a lawyer for the Guillén family, said the family plans to head to Washington early next year to push members of Congress to schedule a vote on the legislation.
"We're not finished, we're just starting. That goes for what policies they're going to implement, how they're going to handle these wrongs, are they going to right all these wrongs, and will they support passage of legislation to permanently fix this," Khawan said.
