Angel Cuz-Choc is accused of killing his girlfriend and her 5-year-old daughter in Florida. (Screenshot from WTSP/YouTube; Suspect's photo from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)
Authorities said a man beat and fatally stabbed his romantic partner and her 4-year-old daughter at their mobile home. Florida mobile home.
Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc, 31, faces two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon in the deaths of Amalia Coc Choc de Pec, 36
Estrella Anastasia Pec Coc, authorities said.
The killings occurred on Wednesday at a mobile home in the 3700 block of Sumner Road in Dover, outside Tampa. Deputies received a call at about 5:30 p.m. about a dead female, according to a news release.
Officials discovered a bloody handprint on the side of the mobile home, indicating that the woman had tried to fight for her life and escape. She was found dead in the backyard, while the girl was found dead inside.
The suspect fled, prompting an 18-hour manhunt that ended when a police dog found him nearby in heavy vegetation. The sheriff's office released body camera footage of.
Sheriff Chad Chronister called the murders 'heinous and vile' in a news conference.
The suspect was romantically involved with the woman and had no connection with the 5-year-old girl, whose father is in Guatemala.
Working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the sheriff said the suspect had recently entered the country unlawfully. Information about his history was limited, as investigators were still in the early stages of the case. Authorities were working to determine if the girlfriend and her daughter had also entered the U.S. unlawfully.
The sheriff praised his deputies for swiftly capturing the suspect in a nervous neighborhood. Officials had established a perimeter of up to 3 miles, knowing that the suspect had a head start. It is believed that the killings took place around 3:40 p.m. when a woman heard a scream, which the sheriff said was not uncommon in the neighborhood. A call was not made to the sheriff's office until a roommate returned to the mobile home and made the grim discovery at 5:30 p.m.
Authorities used bloodhounds and helicopters to search for the suspect. Deputies advised residents to stay indoors and remain vigilant for anything unusual, such as unlocked cars or open windows.
When the suspect was found, he had cash and his cellphone, which he attempted to use to contact his boss, brother, and friends. Deputies tracked down and spoke with these individuals overnight, all of whom declined to help. The sheriff commended the community for their efforts and stated that no one had been arrested for harboring a fugitive.
They all declined that offer and denied that help and said, 'You're not getting us involved,' the sheriff said. 'So, great job by this community. Luckily, because of those efforts, we're not sitting here announcing that someone else has gone to jail for harboring a fugitive.'
“He was unable to move and go anywhere, and we had every part of this 2.5-mile, nearly 3-mile perimeter under surveillance,” he said.
Cuz-Choc admitted to committing both murders during interviews with detectives after he was taken into custody, according to the sheriff’s office.