Court documents reveal possible motive in ‘gruesome’ Dover double murder case
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The man accused of murdering his girlfriend and her child in Dover remained in custody at Hillsborough County’s Falkenberg Road Jail on Friday after waiving his first court appearance.
Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez filed a motion for pretrial detention ahead of his scheduled appearance, asking a judge to order Cuz-Choc be held in jail, without bond, until his trial.
Body cam video shows Hillsborough deputies arrest ‘dangerous’ suspect in ‘brutal’ double murder
Cuz-Choc is a flight risk and could skip out on his trial, Lopez wrote, because he entered the country illegally. Cuz-Choc told investigators he traveled from Guatemala with the help of a “coyote,” a term for people who are paid to smuggle migrants across the border between Mexico and the U.S.
Lopez also pointed to Cuz-Choc’s arrest, where body camera video showed him fleeing into a dense area of vegetation and allegedly resisting deputies.
“There are no conditions of release that will ensure the defendant’s presence at trial,” Lopez wrote.
The state attorney believes he poses a threat to the community due to “the brutal and violent nature” of the crimes he was accused of.
“The defendant confessed to killing both victims to one of his brothers and later to law enforcement in a post-Miranda interview,” Lopez wrote. “The State respectfully requests the Court to find that the proof of the defendant’s guilt is evident or the presumption is great.”
The court documents revealed new details of what Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister described as “an extremely gruesome scene.” Detectives reported blood surrounding the victims, in parts of the home and throughout the yard.
Surveillance video obtained by HCSO showed the woman, identified as Amalia Cuc Choc, 36, “attempting to run from a male subject and screaming,” the motion stated. The video also showed the woman “yelling in terror” as she was “being carried against her will” to a trailer, following the same path where deputies later discovered a trail of blood, according to detectives. They found her partially clothed, laying in a pool of blood and hidden beneath a tarp.
Her 4-year-old daughter, Estrella Pec Coc, was also found dead, laying in a “small pool of water” in a bathtub with the water still running, according to HCSO. Both victims were discovered with multiple stab wounds.
Cuz-Choc’s brothers told investigators they heard from him shortly after the alleged murders. They told HCSO that he confessed to his crimes and provided a motive: Amalia Cuc Choc was “out with a friend for three hours instead of her allotted hour and a half.”
Speaking with investigators after his arrest, they reported that Cuz-Choc “admitted to the offense and provided details on how he stabbed” the victims, according to court documents.
He was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail and charged with two counts of premeditated first degree murder with a weapon, first degree murder while engaging in aggravated child abuse, and kidnapping.
“Death penalty and justice”
The victims’ relatives told 8 On Your Side they want the most serious consequences for their loved ones’ alleged murderer.
“The death penalty and justice for the child, because the child had nothing to do with what he did,” one of the victim’s sisters said.
Those who know Amalia and Estrella said this wasn’t the first time the suspect was violent with the victims. Pec Coc’s sister said Cuz-Choc had previously threatened their family.
“A man called me and told me to tell my sister to come back to him, because if she doesn’t, there will be consequences. It’s not the first time I’ve killed people. I’ve already killed people in Guatemala,” Dolores Choc said.
Since coming to the Tampa area, others said they had noticed some warning signs of domestic violence.
‘Death penalty and justice’: Dover murder victim’s sister wants suspect executed
“I looked at her and saw that she had bruises…” said a woman who knew the daughter, but wished to stay anonymous. “Her eyes were also very purple.”
On Friday, a judge ordered Cuz-Choc to be held without bond. His attorney also waived his pre-trial detention hearing.
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