TAMPA, Fla. – A Hillsborough County jury has found Angel Gabriel Cuz Choc guilty of first-degree murder in the brutal stabbing deaths of his girlfriend, Amalia Coc Choc De Pec, and her 4-year-old daughter. The verdict was delivered following a weeklong trial stemming from the April 2024 double homicide at their home in Dover.
Cuz Choc now faces the possibility of the death penalty. The same jury will reconvene for the penalty phase to decide whether he will be sentenced to execution or spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.
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Evidence and Prosecution’s Case
During the trial, jurors were presented with overwhelming evidence, including testimony from detectives, crime scene analysts, and forensic experts. Prosecutors detailed the link between Cuz Choc and the killings, which included the recovery of multiple weapons and “chilling surveillance video” that showed the defendant chasing his girlfriend just hours before her death. Amalia Coc Choc De Pec was found stabbed and beaten, while her daughter’s body was later discovered in a bathtub inside the residence.
Prosecutors argued that Cuz Choc became enraged when Amalia came home later than expected and attacked her in a fit of rage. After the murders, he fled into nearby woods but was captured by law enforcement officers the following day. Taking the stand in his own defense, Cuz Choc claimed he did not remember killing either victim.
The prosecution team was led by Death Penalty Specialist Scott Harmon and Assistant State Attorney Lindsey Hodges. The defendant was represented by the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office.
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International Background and Statement from State Attorney
The case also highlighted the defendant’s background, as investigators learned that Cuz Choc was allegedly wanted for two separate murders in his home country of Guatemala before entering the United States illegally in September 2023.
Following the verdict, State Attorney Suzy Lopez released a statement on the conviction.
“My heart breaks for this mother and her little girl, whose lives were taken in acts of pure evil,” Lopez said. “He brutally murdered the woman he considered to be his wife, and the little girl he treated as a daughter. We will not rest until the victims’ family gets the justice they deserve.”
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