Suzy Lopez to seek death penalty against suspect in slaying of mother, daughter

State Attorney Suzy Lopez, who heads the 13th Judicial Circuit, will seek the death penalty against Angel Gabriel Cuz Choc. Cuz Choc is accused of brutally murdering his girlfriend, Amalia Coc Choc De Pec, and her 4-year-old daughter at her Dover home.

Cuz Choc reportedly entered the country without proper authorization or documentation and, according to U.S. Border Patrol, is wanted for two additional murders in his home country of Guatemala. He’s charged with two counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated child abuse. He’s currently being held in jail as an ongoing threat to the community.

Cuz Choc is accused of attacking his girlfriend with a shovel and knife, stabbing and striking her repeatedly. He told investigators he was angry when she arrived home late from an outing with friends, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

The adult victim’s body was found April 25 in a makeshift shed on the exterior of the trailer the couple shared. Choc De Pec’s daughter was found stabbed to death in the bathtub.

Cuz Choc was arrested the day after the bodies were found, hiding in the woods two miles from the crime scene.

“I can’t imagine the terror both victims went through as they were brutally attacked by this defendant. A mother and her 4-year-old daughter were savagely stabbed to death. This crime was especially heinous, cruel, and atrocious,” Lopez said.

“As a result of the violent nature of the defendant’s actions and the suffering of the victims, we are seeking the death penalty for both murders. This tragedy is made even worse by the fact that the defendant was in our community illegally.”

In a sworn statement to officers after his arrest, Cuz Choc admitted entering the country illegally through a smuggler in late 2023. He said he met Coc Choc De Pec on Facebook when she was living at the time with her daughter in New Jersey. Months before the murders, he said the mother and daughter moved to Florida to live with him in Dover, where he worked as a day laborer.

Cuz Choc is being held after the State Attorney’s Office filed a motion for pretrial detention, which the Public Defender’s office did not challenge. Therefore, Cuz Choc will be held in jail without bond until trial. His arraignment is set for May 20.