An illegal alien defendant brutally murdered his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter at their home in Central Florida.
State Attorney Suzy Lopez announced her office will seek the death penalty in the case of Angel Gabriel Cuz Choc, who entered the country illegally from Guatemala where the U.S. Border Patrol says he was also wanted for two separate murders.
The defendant brutally murdered his girlfriend Amalia Coc Choc De Pec and her 4-year-old daughter at their home in Dover. In Hillsborough County, he is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and aggravated child abuse. The defendant is being held in jail until trial as a result of the agency successfully arguing that he represents a danger to the community.
On April 25th, Cuz Choc attacked his girlfriend with a shovel and a knife, repeatedly striking and stabbing her. He told investigators he was angry when she didn’t return home on time from a trip out with a friend. Coc Choc De Pec’s body was found in a makeshift shed outside the couple’s trailer. Her 4-year-old daughter was found stabbed to death in the bathtub.
Deputies arrested Cuz Choc the following day after they found him hiding in the woods two miles away from the crime scene.
Cuz Choc gave a sworn statement to investigators where he admitted entering the country illegally through a smuggler in September of 2023. The defendant claims he met Coc Choc De Pec on Facebook while she and her daughter lived in New Jersey. In the months before the murders, the defendant also claimed the victim and her 4-year-old daughter moved down to live with Cuz Choc in Dover where he found work as a day laborer.
“I can’t imagine the terror both victims went through as they were brutally attacked by this defendant,” said State Attorney Suzy Lopez. “A mother and her 4-year-old daughter were savagely stabbed to death. This crime was especially heinous, cruel, and atrocious. As a result of the violent nature of the defendant’s actions and the suffering of the victims, we are seeking the death penalty for both murders. This tragedy is made even worse by the fact that the defendant was in our community illegally.”
The State Attorney’s Office filed a motion for pretrial detention which was not challenged by the Public Defender’s Office. Cuz Choc will remain behind bars without bond until trial.
If you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic violence, there are resources for survivors and their children. The Spring of Tampa Bay has a 24-hour Crisis Hotline that victims can call: (813)-247-SAFE (7233). Victims can also learn about the Spring’s services and resources online.
This is excatly what happenes we don’t have no leadership in our Government , and is gonna keep on happeneing until they do something about or get some one in there that cares about our country instead of sending Billions and Billions over seas and pretty soon they will turn on us. STOP the illeagals from coming in and put that Wall back up and show them that we mean business instead of having Weeny Roarts.Put new Leader ship in there now and stop this Murdering bunch of Thieves from bringing in Drugs and their Weaponns.I don’t know what good this does to even write this because it will get thrown out just like everything else.