DOVER, FL – The quiet rhythm of a strawberry field was shattered in late April when a double homicide unfolded inside a modest trailer, leaving a community reeling and the legal system ultimately delivering Florida’s harshest punishment.
Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc, 33, will face execution following his conviction for the murders of his partner, Amalia Coc Choc de Pec, 36, and her four-year-old daughter, Estrella Anastasia Pec Coc. The decision came after a jury found Cuz-Choc guilty of first-degree murder, electing to recommend the death penalty rather than life imprisonment.
The violent crimes occurred on April 24 in a small enclave of mobile homes nestled just outside Tampa, along the 3700 block of Sumner Road in Dover. That evening, authorities responded to a distress call around 5:30 p.m., following reports of a deceased woman. What they encountered inside the trailer suggested a desperate fight for survival.
Investigators arrived to find blood smeared across the side of the trailer, apparently from Amalia’s hand as she struggled to escape. She was found lifeless inside a backyard trailer. In an adjoining residence, the search turned tragic once more when deputies discovered Estrella, already dead, in the bathtub.
Officials concluded that the violence stemmed from a burst of rage after the suspect became upset over his girlfriend’s delayed return home. As deputies canvassed the area, Cuz-Choc had already fled into the surrounding overgrowth. His disappearance touched off an 18-hour manhunt, ending only when a police K-9 unit tracked him to a dense thicket nearby.
Further complicating the investigation, authorities uncovered that Cuz-Choc had entered the United States without documentation in 2023. He is also suspected in connection with two homicides in Guatemala, painting a larger, troubling picture of his past.
During sentencing, emotional weight filled the courtroom as Judge Michelle Sisco described the brutality of the episode. Medical testimony revealed that Estrella suffered at least six serious injuries — including wounds that signaled a struggle for her life — and that she was conscious during the attack, sustaining defensive injuries as she tried to repel the knife.
Hillsborough County officials expressed that this case ranks among the most distressing in recent memory. Family members in both the United States and Guatemala are left grappling with a loss that justice alone cannot alleviate.
While law enforcement confirmed that closure is elusive for all involved, officials affirmed that the swift response and thorough investigation ensured that Cuz-Choc would be held accountable for his actions.
As the legal process draws to a close, one certainty remains: the events inside the Dover trailer will not soon be forgotten by the community or by the family members whose lives were irreparably changed.