HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A man was sentenced to death after he was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter, according to Administrative Office of the Courts officials.
On Oct. 7, 2025, a jury found Angel Gabriel Cuz Choc guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter.
According to the officials, the jury recommended the death penalty.
Officials said a Hillsborough County judge followed the jury’s recommendation on Feb. 6 by sentencing Cuz Choc to death.
On April 24, 2024 Deputies were called to a mobile home on the 3700 block of Sumner Road in Dover around 5:30 p.m. They were called after receiving a 911 call from a roommate who arrived home and found the victims, Amalia Coc Choc de Pec, 36, and 4-year-old Estrella, dead from stab wounds in the attack.
Cuz Choc was identified as a suspect and arrested on April 25, 2024, after being located by Hillsborough County deputies in a wooded area.
During the trial, Cruz Choc took the stand in his own defense and claimed he did not remember killing the victims. Investigators presented weapons tied to the crimes along with surveillance video showing him chasing his girlfriend just hours before she was found stabbed, the state attorney said.
Cuz Choc was found guilty after a week-long Jury trial in October 2025 in Hillsborough County.
How journalists battle the rise of AI fake news
As News Literacy Week kicks off in partnership with Scripps News, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska sat down with fact-checkers at PolitiFact to learn how they combat misinformation in the age of AI.
