DOVER, FL – A man convicted of brutally killing his girlfriend and her young daughter last spring near Tampa has been sentenced to death, closing the chapter on a violent case that rattled a quiet farming community.

Angel Gabriel Cuz-Choc, 33, received the death penalty this week following his conviction for the murders of Amalia Coc Choc de Pec, 36, and her 4-year-old daughter, Estrella Anastasia Pec Coc. The jury’s recommendation for the state’s most severe punishment came after striking details of the crime scene and the victims’ suffering were revealed during the trial.

The deadly attacks unfolded on April 24 at a mobile home situated amid strawberry fields on the 3700 block of Sumner Road in Dover. Authorities responded to the scene around 5:30 p.m. after receiving a report of a deceased woman, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

When deputies arrived, they discovered a grim tableau. The side of the trailer bore a bloody handprint, believed to be Amalia’s, evidence of her desperate struggle to escape. Inside a small backyard trailer, Amalia was found dead, while her daughter’s body was discovered in the bathtub of the family’s main home, both suffering fatal stab wounds.

Investigators said Cuz-Choc, an undocumented immigrant who entered the U.S. in 2023, had fled the scene before deputies arrived. The manhunt lasted 18 hours and ended nearby when a K-9 unit tracked him down in dense brush. Authorities believe the murders were fueled by Cuz-Choc’s anger after Amalia arrived home later than he expected.

Local prosecutors noted that Cuz-Choc was also under investigation for two unrelated homicide cases in Guatemala. However, the Florida crimes, marked by their brutality, prompted swift action from law enforcement and prosecutors.

During sentencing, emotional testimonies described the horrific nature of the slayings, emphasizing the suffering endured by the victims. Courtroom accounts revealed that Estrella, the child victim, had suffered multiple injuries—her wounds suggesting she tried to fight off her attacker. Evidence presented at trial indicated she was conscious and aware during the attack, with defensive wounds documented on her hands and neck.

In handing down the death penalty, the judge acknowledged the extraordinary cruelty of the crime, citing the anguish caused to both the victims and their surviving family members, many of whom remain in Guatemala. The deaths of Amalia and Estrella have sent shockwaves through the local immigrant and agricultural communities, which are tightly knit and seldom grapple with violence of this severity.

The sentencing brings legal closure to a case that authorities have described as among the most disturbing in recent memory for Hillsborough County. While prosecutors hope the outcome delivers a measure of justice, friends, family, and neighbors continue to mourn a mother and child whose lives were cut short in their own home.