Murder weapons shown in court for Dover double murder trial
Illegal Immigrant on trial for 2024 double murder
Forensic experts speak about the murder weapons used in the case.
TAMPA, Fla. - The brutality of the murders of Amalia Coc Choc de Pec and her daughter, 4-year-old, Juana Estrella were the focus of the prosecution Wednesday.
Angel Cuz-Choc is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the case.
The forensic evidence from the scene showed both victims had injuries consistent with a bladed instrument.
The backstory:
It was a bloody crime scene in April 2024. A neighbor reported to 911 that they had found Amalia Coc Choc de Pec lying outside of her mobile home with blood everywhere.
Responding deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office found the woman lying face down under an overhang outside the home. She was dead with multiple signs of traumatic injury to her body.
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Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
The home had blood splatter along the stairs and exterior entry area leading to the shed.
Upon making entry into the home, deputies similarly discovered the victim’s daughter, Juana Estrella, with similar stab wounds from a bladed instrument.
The sheriff's office searched for the victim's boyfriend as surveillance video from a neighbor’s home showed him leaving the property last.
Cuz-Choc trial knife
Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc was located hiding in the woods beside a nearby strawberry field.
Officials determined that he had entered the United States illegally. He was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in addition to kidnapping and aggravated child abuse.
What they're saying:
In court Wednesday, the prosecution introduced the jury to the lead homicide detective from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Anthony Watson spoke to the court about their work to identify and recover the murder weapons involved.
Murder weapon is bent
A knife was recovered from the trash can.
That knife was positively identified as one of the weapons used in the murders. The force the killer used was so violent that the blade of the knife bent during the stabbings.
Watson showed the knife in court holding the blade to show the slight curve in the once straight kitchen instrument.
Next, the prosecution brought in FDLE Crime Lab analyst Tracy Love to confirm for the court that the knife was one of the two weapons used in the crime.
She confirmed that the defendant was in possession of that knife before it was recovered. She spoke of the process used to connect him to the weapon.
The prosecution also introduced the court to Sabrina Rich from the Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigators’ office.
Murder weapon shovel
Rich spoke to the court about the recovery of two shovels from the crime scene. Both shovels had blood evidence on them from the victim, Amalia Coc Choc de Pec.
The victim had injuries consistent with being both stabbed and slashed with the knife before being beaten with at least one of the two shovels recovered.
What's next:
The prosecution continued to present to the jury the evidence showing that the defendant is, in fact, the killer and that he did intentionally kill the two victims with cruelty.
That evidence will be used to show the jury that the defendant deserves the death penalty if found guilty of the two murders.
The Source: This story was prepared based on the court interviews taking place live today.