Southwest
Sister of Army soldier murdered at Texas base floats potential congressional challenge to Rep Al Green
The sister of Vanessa Guillén, a U.S. Army soldier murdered and dismembered at what was formerly called Fort Hood in Texas, is floating a potential congressional challenge to Rep. Al Green, D-Texas.
Mayra Guillén said she was considering running against Green after watching his outbursts during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress last week.
After watching Green “disrespect” not only the president, “but our district, state and country, I believe it’s time for me to get into the fight like I did for my sister Vanessa Guillen!” Mayra Guillén wrote on X on March 6. “It’s time to end the propaganda displayed by these politicians, and time to help support [Trump] and his amazing [administration] to Make America Great Again! Al Green I’m coming for your seat.”
FAMILY OF MURDERED FORT HOOD SOLDIER VANESSA GUILLEN FILES $35M LAWSUIT AGAINST U.S. ARMY
Mayra Guillen and Lupe Guillen speak about the Vanessa Guillen Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act, which would move the decision to prosecute serious crimes in the military from the chain of command, during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 2021. ( SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Local outlets, including the Houston Chronicle, picked up her potential congressional run in reports published Wednesday but said Guillén has yet to file the appropriate paperwork for a campaign.
Fox News Digital reached out to Guillén for comment Thursday but did not immediately hear back.
Green has represented his heavily blue Houston congressional district since 2005 and was unopposed in last year’s election. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., ordered the Sergeant at Arms to remove Green from the chamber when he repeatedly shouted over and wagged his cane at Trump during the president’s first congressional address back in office, and Republicans later voted to censure the long-time Democratic congressman.
In 2021, Mayra Guillén founded the “I am Vanessa Guillén Foundation,” an advocacy group intended to give a voice to survivors of sexual violence in the military.
People pay respects at a mural of Vanessa Guillen, a soldier murdered at nearby Fort Hood, on July 6, 2020, in Austin, Texas. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)
MURDERED FORT HOOD SOLDIER VANESSA GUILLEN DESERVES SAME RESPECT AS GEORGE FLOYD, BIDEN MUST ACT, FAMILY SAYS
Vanessa Guillén, a 20-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Hood, was declared missing in April 2020 from the base outside Killeen, Texas, prompting a months-long search.
Authorities eventually said she was murdered and dismembered in an armory room by a fellow soldier, Army Spc. Aaron Robinson, who died by suicide on July 1, 2020, when authorities were closing in on him a day after Guillén’s remains were found.
The only person criminally charged in Guillén’s death was Robinson’s girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, who authorities accused of helping him mutilate and hide the body. Aguilar was sentenced to 30 years in prison in August 2023 for accessory to murder.
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, shouts as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)
Guillén’s family has said they believe she was sexually harassed during her time at the Texas military base. While Army officials have said they do not believe Robinson harassed Guillén, they admitted in a report a year later that Guillén was harassed by another soldier at the base.
Then-U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said during a visit to the Texas base that it had one of the highest rates of murder, sexual assault and harassment in the Army, later adding that the patterns of violence were a direct result of “leadership failures.” State and federal lawmakers passed legislation in 2021 honoring Guillén that removed some authority from commanders and gave survivors more options to report abuse and harassment.
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Army officials disciplined 21 commissioned and non-commissioned officers in connection with Guillén’s death. Fort Hood was renamed to Fort Cavazos in May 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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