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- [00:03]
Narrator/Advertiser
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- [00:35]
John Quinones
On an Overcast day in April 2021, Vanessa's family returns to Fort Hood. They used to hold weekly protests at this base, demanding that the army find their missing daughter, their missing sister. But this time, there's no Vanessa to find. It's been nearly a year since Vanessa's murder. Cecily Aguilar is in jail, but she hasn't been sentenced yet. Today, Vanessa's family is back at Fort Hood as invited guests to unveil a memorial for her. A group of soldiers stand at attention, holding flags that flap in the wind.
- [01:27]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
At this time, we would like to pay special recognition to all general officers, sergeants, major, distinguished guests.
- [01:33]
John Quinones
This isn't the first time the army has formally honored Vanessa. After her remains were found, she was promoted to the rank of specialist. Vanessa's sisters, Mayra and Lupe, sit on metal folding chairs next to their father, Rogelio, while Juan, Vanessa's fiance and other family. Lt. Gen. Pat White acknowledges how it's a hard day, but he says it's also an important one.
- [02:01]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
I want current and future soldiers to understand the impact of what we're doing here today.
- [02:06]
John Quinones
Now there will be a permanent memorial to Vanessa, one that has her name and picture on it.
- [02:14]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
And you can come learn just a.
- [02:15]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
Little bit about Vanessa. But mostly it's so in two, three, four years, we haven't forgotten what this.
- [02:23]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
Is all about, what this moment is.
- [02:25]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
About in our history. Her legacy is going to live on through this monument here that you'll help us unveil.
- [02:32]
John Quinones
The ceremony feels heavy and solemn. When Vanessa's younger sister, Lupe, gets up to speak, she says she's had mixed feelings about the gate.
- [02:43]
Lupe Guillen
They should have cared when she was alive. Not until now.
- [02:49]
John Quinones
Why put up a memorial to Vanessa in this place where she was so brutally murdered? But Lupe also sees some good in it.
- [02:59]
Lupe Guillen
The positive side of this gate is to remember her name and to remind and reflect about what happened April 22, about those victims, both men and women, being victims of sexual violence. To not stay in silence, to not be afraid to report it, and to simply speak up because my sister couldn't.
- [03:21]
John Quinones
Speak up a gate and a memorial plaque. It's a way for the army to honor Vanessa. But for Lupe, it's not enough. It's not the same as having her sister back alive. It's not accountability. So she puts out a call to. To action.
- [03:41]
Lupe Guillen
We have to pass legislation in order for this to to stop. Because it had to take my sister's life for us to realize the bigger issues. Sexual violence is not an issue. It's an epidemic inside the armed forces. And she had to die. She had to be murdered and dismembered and burned in order for us, all of us here, to realize that this, this is happening for decades. My sister deserved her protection and respect. And we are here now. Her name being in the gate in her picture, but not her. So the people who are watching today or watch this later on help us pass the Ivan Vanessa Keyen act in her honor.
- [04:31]
John Quinones
While the army and law enforcement investigated Vanessa's death, Vanessa's family took their fight for justice all the way to Washington D.C. they even got an audience with President Donald Trump, who promised Vanessa's death would be investigated. As you know, the FBI and the DOJ are now involved. So we're going to get to the bottom of it.
- [04:53]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
And how could it have happened when.
- [04:55]
John Quinones
Nobody knew about it? Vanessa's story started out as the case of a missing soldier. And it might have stayed that way, but her family f fought for her taking on the US army when they thought it wasn't doing enough to find her. They got local, national, even international media to cover Vanessa's story. And once her body was finally found, her family didn't stop. They kept fighting. Eventually, they'd force a reckoning inside the army, the Pentagon, and even the halls of Congress as the family tried to heal. And they wanted to make sure that what happened to Vanessa wouldn't happen to any other soldier. So they set out to change the US Military. And five years later, after all that fighting, where do things stand today? And where does that leave Vanessa's family? From ABC Audio in 2020, this is vanish. What happened to Vanessa? I'm John Quinones. This is episode six A New Life. About a week after the gate ceremony, the Guillen's got some information they'd been waiting on for months.
- [06:26]
Representative Jackie Speier
While the army releasing a highly anticipated report regarding the death of Vanessa Guillen.
- [06:30]
John Quinones
Today, ABC13 the Army announced the results of their internal investigation into how leaders at Fort Hood responded to Vanessa's disappearance and murder. It also examined the sexual harassment issues. It was a thick Report with large chunks of black redacted text. This was not the independent review commissioned by the Army. We've mentioned before that independent review was external and it was led by a committee of civilians, including a retired FBI investigator. This new report was internal and was headed by a four star general. It was the Army's way of looking in the mirror and assessing itself. The major findings of this new investigation. Vanessa initially being labeled AWOL or absent without leave was a problem because that classification didn't reflect her true status missing. The report said that the army lacked a better way to categorize her. The internal report said overall the army had done a good job looking for Vanessa. Their search was, quote, immediate and well coordinated. But it also said some things could have been improved, like better use of the media and social media. By not engaging the media sooner, the army acknowledged Fort Hood had lost the trust of the Guillen family and the surrounding community. For Vanessa's sister Myra, the Army's characterization of the search did not match what she observed.
- [08:16]
Myra Guillen
That specific point where they claimed that the search was immediate and, you know, coordinated. I'm like, I was there. I know what happened and didn't.
- [08:26]
John Quinones
The Army's assessment that the initial search went well also doesn't align with the conclusions of the independent review committee. That committee said that Fort Hood's criminal investigation division lacked experience with serious and complex cases like Vanessa's and had a number of missteps early on that took them off course. And remember in the last episode when Aaron Robinson, the main suspect in Vanessa's murder, got away, he was being held in a conference room and escaped. The Army's internal review blamed poor communication for allowing that to happen. And one final finding was especially important for Vanessa's family. What the army concluded about Vanessa's sexual harassment.
- [09:21]
Narrator/Advertiser
Tonight, the Army's long awaited report into Specialist Vanessa Guillen's disappearance and murder, finding that she had indeed been sexually harassed by a superior as her family has insisted from the start. The army admitting they failed.
- [09:36]
John Quinones
This acknowledgment from the army that Vanessa had been sexually harassed. It was a big reversal from what the army had said in the early months of their investigation, that there was no evidence Vanessa had been sexually assaulted or harassed. Listen to army investigator Damon Phelps speaking at a press conference in July 2020. This was just a few days after Vanessa's remains were found.
- [10:05]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
There has been no information and we've interviewed hundreds of people to include all acquaintances and co workers of Miskihan. So there's no allegation whatsoever that she's been sexually assaulted or harassed. And any hint of information that was sexual harassment was completely looked at without any credible information.
- [10:27]
John Quinones
But nearly a year later, the army reached a far different conclusion. It found evidence that Vanessa had actually been sexually harassed on two different occasions. So was there a connection between the sexual harassment and her death? The army said Vanessa's harasser was not Specialist Aaron Robinson, the man who killed her. The army said it found no credible evidence that Robinson had sexually harassed Vanessa or had any relationship with her outside of work. But the army did find that Aaron Robinson had sexually harassed another soldier in person, over text, and through potential stalking. The soldier he was harassing felt threatened and unsafe. When Vanessa's older sister, Myra read the report, she was skeptical. Robinson had harassed someone, and just because there wasn't evidence that he'd harassed Vanessa, that did not clear him in her mind.
- [11:37]
Myra Guillen
So it gets very confusing when they want to state that Robinson wasn't doing the harassment, because we don't actually know that. You have no evidence whether if he actually did in person. The only two people that you could possibly ask if this harassment was being done, they're both no longer here.
- [11:56]
John Quinones
And if there wasn't any harassment, why would Robinson kill Vanessa? It left the family still searching for his motive. I went to see one of the top army leaders who helped oversee this internal investigation. In June 2021, I met with Major General Gene LeBoeuf in North Carolina, near Fort Bragg, one of the largest army bases in the country. Major General, how are you? Good morning, John.
- [12:29]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
Real pleasure to meet you.
- [12:30]
John Quinones
To meet you. Thank you. Have a seizure if you like.
- [12:32]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
Thank you. Thank you.
- [12:34]
John Quinones
Once we settle in, I asked the question Myra and her family have been wondering, how can you be so certain that she was never harassed by him?
- [12:45]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
Well, this is extremely detailed investigation. They interviewed over 150 different people as part of this investigation. They reviewed 6,000 emails, over 11,500 pages of documents over a three month period. Nowhere in our investigation was there any evidence that Specialist Robinson had sexually harassed Specialist Guillen.
- [13:09]
John Quinones
But there was no one in that, no other witnesses in that arms room where she was killed. There were no cameras there. How do you know that she wasn't sexually harassed right then and there before she was killed by Robinson?
- [13:21]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
Yeah. John, we don't know that. You're correct. There are no cameras there. Specialist Robinson and Specialist Guillenine were alone while Specialists Guillen was conducting an inventory in that arms room. So we don't know that for certain.
- [13:38]
John Quinones
So according to the army, who was harassing Vanessa, the Army found evidence that Vanessa was sexually harassed by a supervisor. This validated what Vanessa had confided to her mother and what her family had been saying all along. ABC News reached out to Fort Hood, and they confirmed that the supervisor who harassed Vanessa was in her chain of command. Steve Campion is a former journalist who covered Vanessa's story for the ABC News own station in Houston, ktrk. The report details two incidents where Vanessa Guillen experienced sexual harassment. First, there's a supervisor who makes vulgar remarks to her in Spanish about wanting to have a threesome, about wanting to participate in group sex. The second incident involves Vanessa trying to take a bath out in the field, and she feels as if a supervisor is trying to watch her. The army determined that the person who harassed Vanessa had created an intimidating and hostile work environment, but had never identified Vanessa's harasser publicly. Back in North Carolina, I asked Major General Jean LeBoeuf why the army didn't disclose this information. You understand why the family wants to know who this man was who was sexually harassing their daughter?
- [15:08]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
Yes, John, and we fully respect that. And I've had the honor of speaking with the family on prior occasions to provide them updates.
- [15:15]
John Quinones
You can't release his name.
- [15:16]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
We can't release his name for the matter of privacy. These are administrative actions. And because they're administrative actions are also referred to as personnel actions in the United States Army. And so, unfortunately, based on army policy, we can't reveal the names of these individuals because it's a personnel matter and it would invade their privacy that they have due process for.
- [15:41]
John Quinones
As for how Fort Hood investigators had handled the search for Vanessa, I asked Major General LaBeouf about that, too. You have to admit that early on in the investigation, there were too many mistakes, too many blunders.
- [15:55]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
The investigation revealed that there were errors that occurred, errors in accountability, errors with respect to leadership. All these things unfortunately transpired at a point in which we had one of our own go missing.
- [16:13]
John Quinones
Was this a botched investigation by the U.S. army?
- [16:17]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
No, we don't believe so, because we were able to find probable cause to link Specialist Robinson to the disappearance and death of Specialist Guillen.
- [16:28]
John Quinones
Despite early errors in the search, Major General LaBeouf told me the army stands by the overall investigation. And he said Vanessa's death, quote, tugs at our heart.
- [16:43]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
We'll never forget Vanessa Guillen, John. We'll never forget her. There's a gate named after Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood, Texas, that the members of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, Vanessa's unit, enters and exits every day. The same gate that Vanessa entered and exit Fort Hood, Texas will never forget Vanessa.
- [17:05]
John Quinones
When I sat down with Major General LaBeouf in the summer of 2021, he said Vanessa's death had prompted some significant.
- [17:13]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
Changes in my 36 year career. I have not seen the level of changes happening in our army as we're seeing it today. And that's a very good thing for the United States Army.
- [17:25]
John Quinones
One big change, the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, or cid, is now headed by a civilian, giving it more independence over its investigations. And there was more. 21 soldiers, including some senior leaders in Vanessa's brigade, were reprimanded or disciplined. A handful of senior officers were fired.
- [17:53]
Louis Martinez
There was definitely a fallout.
- [17:54]
John Quinones
Louis Martinez is ABC's senior Pentagon reporter. He's been covering the military for more than 20 years.
- [18:03]
Louis Martinez
It's just not typical to see a senior officer. We're talking about a two star general who is removed from command.
- [18:11]
John Quinones
The fact that Vanessa, a junior enlisted soldier, became the spark that exploded into a leadership shakeup like this one, that was pretty exceptional. The army decided to make some other changes too, like establishing a new missing persons protocol. As we've said before, Vanessa, a soldier who didn't show up for duty was assumed to be AWOL or absent without leave. That label came with a negative connotation because it meant that the person didn't get permission to not show up for work. It also wouldn't trigger alarm bells for the army to jump start a search. Now there's a new classification, absent unknown.
- [19:03]
Louis Martinez
The army now says anybody who fails to show up for their job is considered missing and they're going to be put into this new category. It's called absent unknown. And they're going to do their best to figure out where you are.
- [19:18]
John Quinones
But for Vanessa's family, restructuring, cid, the firing or disciplining of senior leaders, or even the fact that the army changed how they classified missing soldiers, those things didn't add up to justice or accountability. The changes Vanessa's family wanted to see demanded a much bigger fight.
- [19:53]
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- [21:06]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
Morning Zoe. Got donuts.
- [21:08]
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Army Investigator Damon Phelps
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- [21:38]
Lupe Guillen
Nice.
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- [22:08]
Lupe Guillen
Good morning everyone. Thank you for coming today. We are here to demand justice for.
- [22:17]
John Quinones
Vanessa In July 2020, a month after Vanessa's remains were found, the Guillen's lawyer, Natalie Kawam stands in front of a long blue banner at the U.S. capitol. In one corner, there's a photo of Vanessa in uniform with an American American flag behind her. Large white letters on the banner spell out the hashtag I am Vanessa Guillen. Kawam addresses a crowd of people holding up posters with Vanessa's face.
- [22:50]
Lupe Guillen
We want to introduce the hashtag IAmVanessageEnville. This will save lives. Our military deserves better. They deserve to be protected. They fight for us, right? Every day. We're here to fight for them. Protect the protectors. Protect the protectors.
- [23:16]
John Quinones
The story of Vanessa's sexual harassment has snowballed into a me too reckoning in the military. Her family and supporters are using that momentum to seek an act of Congress, legislation that would fundamentally change how the military deals with sexual harassment and sexual assault. Vanessa's sister Lupe is a powerful voice in fighting for this legislation.
- [23:44]
Narrator/Advertiser
My sister deserves to be remembered and to be honored by a bear.
- [23:49]
John Quinones
While Lupe's raw emotion captures people's attention in speeches like this one, you can hear how much she's suffering.
- [24:00]
Narrator/Advertiser
I haven't slept in three months. I haven't slept.
- [24:03]
John Quinones
I haven't eaten good.
- [24:06]
Narrator/Advertiser
I'm stressed. And that sadness just comes to me when I see Vanessa's picture, which is almost every minute that I see Vanessa in social media.
- [24:18]
John Quinones
This isn't a new fight in Congress then. California Representative Jackie Spear, a Democrat, had been pushing for nearly a decade to change how the military deals with sexual assault and harassment cases. She wasn't getting anywhere.
- [24:37]
Representative Jackie Speier
I wouldn't even get Democratic support for it.
- [24:40]
John Quinones
But Representative Spear says Vanessa's case became a turning point.
- [24:46]
Representative Jackie Speier
There is no justice for Vanessa. Vanessa was brutally murdered. Her family is in great pain. But I'm hoping that we can fashion this legislation and get it passed to protect other women and men who become victims of sexual assault or sexual harassment.
- [25:08]
John Quinones
So Representative Speier, who at the time served on the House Armed Services Committee, gets to work on co authoring a new bill in the Senate. She finds a partner in Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
- [25:23]
Lupe Guillen
We're fighting to make sure what happened to Vanessa Guillen never happens again.
- [25:28]
John Quinones
Again. The legislation they're spearheading, it sets out to remove some key decisions from the military's chain of command when it comes to investigating and also prosecuting sexual harassment and assault allegations. Instead, those decisions would be made by independent military prosecutors and not commanders. Remember, the army found that Vanessa had been sexually harassed by a supervisor, a fellow soldier. In her chain of command. Vanessa confided in her mother that she was afraid to report the harassment, that she feared retaliation. Again, Representative Jackie Speier, as long as.
- [26:14]
Representative Jackie Speier
You have to report these cases up your chain of command, there is not going to be the willingness to come forward. Most service members today, they want to make a career out of military service. So if you're falling in that category, you don't want to rock the boat. And so the system is created so you, you don't rock the boat.
- [26:33]
John Quinones
For more than a year, Vanessa's family traveled to Washington, D.C. to build momentum for Congress to pass this new legislation.
- [26:43]
Representative Jackie Speier
We've come a long way in just a year, and we have the Guillen family in particular to thank. Now we've got to make sure that we remember Vanessa Guillen forever. We can't bring her back, but her legacy has to be that this bill is passed and signed into law.
- [27:06]
John Quinones
Then, after months of meeting with lawmakers, Vanessa's family and supporters score a big victory. In December 2021, the House of Representatives passes a version of the I Am Vanessa Guillen bill that gets folded into a bigger piece of legislation, the National Defense Authorization Act. A couple of weeks later, the bill comes up for a vote in the U.S. senate. Senators voting in the affirmative. Bozeman, Burr, Cardin, Cassidy, Cotton, Inhofe, Kaine, King, Klobuchar. It takes about an hour, and then it's over. The legislation passes by a huge margin. The final vote, 88 to 11. That day, Vanessa's sister Myra posts on social media, writing in all caps, the bill has been passed. And then she adds, this is a bittersweet feeling. The loss of my sister created the biggest military law change in history.
- [28:23]
Narrator/Advertiser
And this morning, President Biden signed the $770 billion National Defense Authorization act for the 2022 year. Part of that legislation includes sweeping changes to the military and how it handles sexual assault and harassment cases. This comes after Vanessa Guillen was murdered last year at Fort Hood.
- [28:45]
John Quinones
Now, prosecution decisions for sexual harassment and sexual assault cases would be made by independent investigators instead of commanders. It also created new protections against retaliation for victims. This legislation that Vanessa's family fought so hard for paved the way for other changes, too. A big one. Sexual harassment is now classified as a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Remarkably, it hadn't been a crime before that change even required an executive order from President Biden.
- [29:25]
Louis Martinez
Vanessa Guillen's murder became more than just a criminal story.
- [29:30]
John Quinones
I asked ABC senior Pentagon reporter Louis Martinez about the significance of these changes and of Vanessa's case.
- [29:40]
Louis Martinez
It really turned into a whole national discussion about how the army and the Pentagon treated cases of missing service members, how they treated service members who were alleging sexual harassment. That led to Congress getting involved. And ultimately, a couple years later, we saw some really big changes in how the military handles sexual harassment and sexual assault cases. It really put in place some major reforms that victims Rights advocates have been calling on for decades.
- [30:07]
John Quinones
Vanessa Guillen's disappearance and murder became a catalyst for military reform more than five years after her death. And with reforms in place now for a couple of years, have those changes actually made a difference? Could they be measured in some quantifiable way? ABC News reached out to Fort Hood with a long list of questions, including questions about the latest rates of sexual harassment and assault. We asked Louis to walk us through their answers.
- [30:45]
Louis Martinez
Well, they. They gave us some numbers. Now they. They only go through fiscal year 24. So that's essentially the last year.
- [30:51]
John Quinones
The army told ABC news that between 2023 and 2024, Fort Hood saw a nearly 50% drop in reported sexual harassment cases.
- [31:04]
Louis Martinez
When we asked them how many Fort Hood service members had reported sexual assault in FY24 and 23, they said that there was a 13% decrease in those years.
- [31:14]
John Quinones
The army also pointed us to the Department of Defense's most recent sexual assault survey results from fiscal year 2024. It's an anonymous survey that happens every two years across the entire military. The results. The DOD found what they called a significant decrease in reported cases of sexual assault.
- [31:39]
Louis Martinez
It was the first drop, actually, that they'd seen in those reports in more than a decade.
- [31:44]
John Quinones
I asked Louis to help me understand what these numbers actually mean. So the army says that Fort Hood, there are fewer cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault. What do you make of that claim?
- [31:58]
Louis Martinez
The numbers that they did provide, I think, kind of give us a picture that at least they think there's some progress. But what we're seeing in the army at Fort Hood reflects a broader picture of what has been happening in the Army. The army as a whole had experienced a 13% drop. And I think you could call that progress. Remember, the army is the largest service, and so therefore, they're probably the biggest reflection of and what's going on within the military. But those numbers can vary year to year, so it's really hard to make a real judgment.
- [32:31]
John Quinones
One of the challenges is that those numbers can be interpreted in different ways.
- [32:39]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
Well, you hope when you see that sexual harassment reports are going down, that that is indicative of the fact that sexual harassment itself is going down.
- [32:49]
John Quinones
Don Christensen is a retired Air Force colonel who once served as the Air Force's chief prosecutor. After he retired from the military, he led an advocacy organization called Protect Our Defenders. He was also part of the grassroots movement after Vanessa's death that pushed Congress to reform how sexual harassment and assault are handled in the military. He says one way to think about a drop in reported cases is that the reforms are working, but it's also.
- [33:22]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
Just a possibility people weren't willing to come forward. What I hope those numbers tell us when we see a decrease is that we're moving the right direction. We're never going to eliminate rape, sexual assault, but we're going to get as hopefully as low as we can.
- [33:37]
John Quinones
Christensen says the new law has only been in effect for a couple of years, too soon to get a full sense of its impact. But when ABC News spoke to him in September 2020, he worried momentum might be shifting away from these reforms.
- [33:55]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
What we're really seeing is the messaging coming from the current administration. When the secretary of defense very early on sends out a message that basically makes it clear that he's on the side of those accused of these kinds of crimes versus those who are victims of these kind of crimes. I think it was no more walking on eggshells, I think is what he called his reform.
- [34:21]
John Quinones
At the end of September, Secretary Pete Hegseth stood before hundreds of senior military leaders at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia.
- [34:32]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
I call it the no more walking on eggshells policy.
- [34:35]
John Quinones
On what would have been Vanessa's 26th birthday, Secretary Hegseth announced a sweeping series of changes to military policies and standards, everything from new physical fitness and grooming standards to an overhaul of how harassment and other complaints are handled.
- [34:55]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
No more frivolous complaints.
- [34:57]
John Quinones
No more anonymous complaints.
- [34:59]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
No more repeat complainants.
- [35:01]
John Quinones
No more smearing reputations. No more endless waiting.
- [35:04]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
No more legal limbo. No more sidetracking careers.
- [35:08]
John Quinones
No more walking on eggshells. Hegseth told the audience harassment and discrimination are still illegal and that infractions are will be enforced. But along with the speech came a series of memos. They contained directives like the definition of harassment is overly broad and will be reviewed. Complaints can be filed confidentially, but anonymous complaints will no longer be allowed and repeat complainants will be tracked. Those who knowingly file false complaints can be punished. While Hegseth said previously that equal opportunity programs to report discrimination and harassment are, quote, a good thing, he warned that he hears all the time about those programs being weaponized to retaliate against superiors. According to the Most recent anonymous DoD sexual assault survey we mentioned, the one that happens every two years across the whole military, the military reported only 1% of sexual assault cases were determined to be false or baseless. Christensen says messaging that complaints are widely made in bad faith undercuts victims.
- [36:31]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
There's a real culture of disbelief within the military when it comes to sexual assault. We see it in the civilian world, too, but there's just this idea that victims are constantly coming forward and making false allegations, and that's been reinforced by the current leadership.
- [36:45]
John Quinones
Christensen says survivors and advocates are concerned about the current climate. This includes alleged victims who reach out to him for legal advice.
- [36:56]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
From talking to particularly women serving right now, there's a lot of angst with the current administration. They see a lot of hostility to women serving. And so. So I think the administration, although they can't change the legislation without going through Congress, they can send and they have sent a message to the force that we think the pendulum swung too far to the victim side and we're going to bring it back over to the offender side.
- [37:28]
John Quinones
What does Vanessa's family have to say about these changes she inspired and Vanessa's legacy more than five years after her death? I check in with them to find out.
- [37:45]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
This season on the Kardashians.
- [37:46]
Lupe Guillen
Let's do it.
- [37:47]
Narrator/Advertiser
I'm shooting a TV show with the most amazing cast.
- [37:51]
Louis Martinez
I have my podcast.
- [37:52]
John Quinones
I think I might move back to New York. I heard footsteps walk into my room. What's happening it?
- [37:58]
Narrator/Advertiser
Don't he want to see all the craziness? I'm freaking out.
- [38:03]
John Quinones
Some familiar faces are back.
- [38:04]
Myra Guillen
Is Bob here?
- [38:05]
John Quinones
Hello?
- [38:06]
Lupe Guillen
It's good TV.
- [38:08]
John Quinones
The Hulu original series the Kardashians premieres October 23rd on Hulu and Hulu on.
- [38:12]
Major General Gene LeBoeuf
Disney plus for bundle subscribers term supply.
- [38:15]
Narrator/Promotional Voice
20Th Century Studios presents a legendary movie event. Springsteen Deliver Me from Nowhere.
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Army Investigator Damon Phelps
Baby, we were born.
- [38:25]
Lupe Guillen
That's it.
- [38:26]
John Quinones
That's the sound.
- [38:27]
Narrator/Promotional Voice
It's a story you wanted to tell. See the movie that's being called the best film of the year.
- [38:34]
John Quinones
I think we got that. Yeah, we got that one.
- [38:36]
Narrator/Promotional Voice
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Narrator/Advertiser
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- [39:18]
John Quinones
So, Myra, it's been years now and it's good to see you again.
- [39:22]
Myra Guillen
Thank you, John. Yes. It's been a long time since we Last spoke.
- [39:27]
John Quinones
We began this podcast with Mayra Guillen driving to the base to find her sister Vanessa. The family's relentless search for answers and for justice transformed Vanessa's case into something much bigger than a murder investigation. Vanessa Guillen became and will be remembered for starting a movement. A few weeks ago, I called Myra for an update on how the family's doing today. It's been five years since you devoted yourself to protesting and trying to get legislation passed. Tell me about your life now. What has changed?
- [40:12]
Myra Guillen
The first two years, it was just pure advocacy.
- [40:15]
John Quinones
Yeah.
- [40:16]
Myra Guillen
And then it shifted a little bit. Towards the end of 2023, I did find out that I was pregnant. I am a mom now. I have a one year old, and I did.
- [40:27]
John Quinones
Congratulations.
- [40:28]
Myra Guillen
Yeah, thank you. I did step back a bit for mediocre and the political side of things, just because it's. It's a new beginning, you know, for myself, for my family. We have a new member now, and he's been a blessing for us and has brought so much joy and another view to life ever since Vanessa's passing.
- [40:50]
John Quinones
One year old and what's his name?
- [40:53]
Myra Guillen
Arturo.
- [40:54]
John Quinones
Arturo. Myra says she might get back to doing advocacy and she might even run for elected office someday. But right now she's focused on raising her son. This new life, it's exhausting.
- [41:13]
Myra Guillen
It's truly been an eye opener for me. I see things so much differently now. I can say that when Vanessa passed, everything just seemed so unfair, so sad. It was, you know, anger, resentment, a number of emotions that we all felt. And now the baby has brought so much light, happiness, a new view to things, and, you know, we see it as a big blessing. It's something that keeps my mind busy and off things.
- [41:48]
John Quinones
I asked Mayra about the rest of the family. Lupe is 22 years old now and is in college. After Vanessa died, Lupe raised her voice at rallies and press conferences demanding justice for Vanessa. Myra told me that being so public and outspoken about Vanessa's murder took a really big toll on her little sister.
- [42:13]
Myra Guillen
I know Lupe herself. It was very hard for her to accept what happened and move on. And she did step back fully from the advocacy part because it was just too much.
- [42:29]
John Quinones
Myra also shared that her mother, Gloria, has continued to struggle with the loss of Vanessa, but her church, community, and faith in God have been her salvation.
- [42:42]
Myra Guillen
She was just very, very sick, and she was able to pull through that depression, that anguish that. That phase she was in, and she was able to overcome that. And she's slowly getting into a better Health form. And she's slowly, you know, accepting that things happen for a reason. And she's trying to make the best memory possible that can be done for Vanessa. So it's been a battle for her, but she's slowly trying to get better and to accept, you know, that it's been five years.
- [43:26]
John Quinones
Remember that altar in the Guillen family's living room that they had decorated with pictures and artifacts from Vanessa's life? That altar became a kind of shrine to Vanessa. Well, Myra told me the family eventually made the decision to take most of it down.
- [43:46]
Myra Guillen
It helped us heal in a way, and now we kind of just have the paintings that we value the most and, of course, her graduation photo. And just in a way, organized and surrounded by the legislations that have been passed in her honor and the congressional honors that she received.
- [44:06]
John Quinones
You know, Myra, it's been more than five years since Vanessa passed away. And at first, you and your family wanted the answer, right? Where is Vanessa? And then you wanted justice, and you fought for legislation to be passed. What do you want for your sister now?
- [44:25]
Myra Guillen
It's very simple, to be honest, John. It's for her memory to keep being honored and for the military to do what's right when it comes to these cases. Again, I feel like we'll never know the true motive as to why Vanessa was murdered. It's a question we're going to have for a very long time. Vanessa's death should have been more than enough to prevent anybody else from being hurt or being harassed in any way, shape or form. And it's still happening.
- [45:02]
John Quinones
It's.
- [45:03]
Myra Guillen
It's sad to say that it's still happening. It shouldn't be happening.
- [45:10]
John Quinones
Myra has mostly put her advocacy on hold for now. Still, she continues to use social media to spotlight cases that have echoes of what happened to Vanessa. The recent death of a Navy sailor whose remains were found in a duffel bag in the woods of Virginia, allegedly killed by a fellow sailor, a Fort Hood sergeant who was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of attempted murder, rape, and kidnapping for attacking five women in their barracks. For Myra, these kinds of cases show there's still a lot more work to be done to protect victims of sexual violence in the military.
- [45:56]
Myra Guillen
I would hate to put up a fight again, but if. If I have to, then that's what's going to happen, because it's just not. We're not just going to sit back and be like, oh, okay, this is, you know, it's going to happen again, whatever. Let's just let it be? No.
- [46:09]
John Quinones
What would she think about everything the family did for her in her memory and in the fight to change things?
- [46:16]
Myra Guillen
I strongly believe she would be very proud to see how far we were able to get. I never thought that I had it in me. I never saw myself dealing with such a big issue at such a young age. And I'm proud to say that we've accomplished something really big. And it's all because of her.
- [46:49]
John Quinones
Because of Vanessa, a beloved sister and daughter, a soldier who vanished in my home state at Tejana, whose family would not be ignored. They brought Vanessa's story all the way to the White House. They took on the military, also Congress. And they made sure Vanessa's name name would never be forgotten. I am Vanessa Guien.
- [47:18]
Lupe Guillen
I am Vanessa Guien. You're so Vanessa Guillen.
- [47:21]
John Quinones
I am Vanessa Guillen.
- [47:23]
Lupe Guillen
I am Vanessa Guillen.
- [47:25]
Narrator/Advertiser
I am Vanessa Guillen. I am Vanessa Guillen.
- [47:40]
John Quinones
What Happened to Vanessa is a production of ABC Audio and 20 20, hosted by me, John Quinones. Produced by Nancy Rosenbaum, Sabrina Fang, Shane McKeon and Nora Ritchie. Fact checking and production help from Audrey Mostek and Annalisa Linder. Our story editor is Tracy Samuelson. Our supervising producer is Sasha Aslanian. Music and mixing by Evan Viola. Special thanks to Katie Dendos, Janice Johnston, Stephanie Ramos, Katherine Falders, Ann Flaherty, Denise Martinez, Raimundo, Natalie Cardenas, Rachel Walker, Brian Mazerski and Michelle Margulis. Josh Cohan is our director of podcast programming. Laura Mayer is our executive producer.
- [48:41]
Representative Jackie Speier
What kind of man would let this.
- [48:44]
John Quinones
Happen to his family?
- [48:47]
Narrator/Promotional Voice
Inspired by shocking actual events, I'm working.
- [48:49]
Narrator/Advertiser
On a story about the Murdaughs. Their abuses of power are playing out in real time.
- [48:54]
Narrator/Promotional Voice
Star Starring Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette and Jason Clark.
- [48:58]
Army Investigator Damon Phelps
It's only cheating if you get caught.
- [49:02]
Narrator/Promotional Voice
Hulu Original Series Murdoch Death in the Family New episodes Wednesdays on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus for bundle subscribers, terms apply. 20th Century Studios presents Springsteen Deliver Me From Nowhere Witness a true story of risking it.
- [49:22]
John Quinones
All these new songs, they're the only thing making sense to me right now.
- [49:26]
Narrator/Promotional Voice
To fight for what you believe in. This is not going to be good for Bruce.
- [49:30]
John Quinones
Don't need to be perfect. I just want it to feel right.
- [49:33]
Narrator/Promotional Voice
Springsteen Deliver Me from nowhere rated PG13. Parietal guidance. Suggested for children under 13 only. In theaters Friday.