Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc, 33, a Guatemalan national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2023, was sentenced to death on February 6, 2026, by Hillsborough County Judge Michelle Sisco for the April 24, 2024, murders of his girlfriend Amalia Coc Choc de Pec, 36, and her 4-year-old daughter Estrella Anastasia Pec Coc in Dover, Florida.
Crime Details
Cuz-Choc stabbed Amalia in a trailer on a strawberry field after she returned home late, then entered the home and fatally stabbed Estrella in the bathtub; the scene showed bloody handprints indicating Amalia’s desperate fight to escape, with both victims conscious and suffering during the attacks.
Trial and Sentencing
A jury convicted him of first-degree murder in October 2025 and recommended death by a 10-2 vote; despite defense claims of mental illness, the judge upheld it, calling the acts “heinous, atrocious, and cruel,” noting Estrella’s defensive wounds and six stab injuries.
Manhunt and Background
After fleeing, Cuz-Choc was tracked by a police dog 18 hours later in woods near I-4; phone calls to brothers revealed his rage over Amalia’s tardiness, and he’s a suspect in two Guatemalan murders.
State Attorney Suzy Lopez called it one of Hillsborough County’s most horrific crimes, bringing justice for the victims’ Guatemalan family.
