Memorial set in Houston for slain Texas soldier

People gathered at a mural and memorial honoring Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén at Noah's Art at 3604 Hemphill St. in Fort Worth on Monday, July 6. Photo by Robert Francis


HOUSTON (AP) — A memorial for a slain Texas soldier has been scheduled more than three months after she was killed by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood, an attorney for the family announced Tuesday.


The service is set for Friday at the same field on which Vanessa Guillen once played soccer as a high school athlete, Guillen family attorney Natalie Khawam said in a news release. The Catholic service will run from noon to 8 p.m. at Cesar E. Chavez High School in Houston.
It will be open to the public and will also be streamed online.

Guillen disappeared from Fort Hood on April 22, and Army officials confirmed July 6 that her remains had been found. Investigators said she was bludgeoned to death on base by a fellow soldier, who later killed himself, according to a federal complaint.


Civilian Cecily Aguilar, 22, is charged with a federal count of conspiracy to destroy evidence in helping dispose of the body. She has pleaded not guilty and is being held at the Bell County Jail.
Guillen’s death is under investigation by Army officials. Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy ordered an independent review of the command climate at Fort Hood following Guillen’s slaying.