The courtroom in Tampa, Florida, became a stage of raw, unfiltered human emotion on Friday afternoon, as a 33-year-old Guatemalan national collapsed into sobs, his body wracking with uncontrollable grief, the moment a judge formally condemned him to die for the brutal slaughter of his girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter.
Angel Gabriel Cos Choc, who had sat motionless and stoic for most of the proceedings, shattered the silence of the Hillsborough County courtroom as Circuit Judge Michelle Sisco, her own voice cracking with the weight of the evidence, handed down two consecutive death sentences. The emotional eruption was so violent that deputies were forced to physically remove the convicted killer from the chamber, his wails echoing off the walls as he was dragged away to begin his life on Florida’s death row.
The sentencing marks the first judicially imposed death penalty in the United States for the year 2026, a grim milestone that closes a chapter on one of the most savage double murders the Tampa Bay area has seen in recent memory. The case, which prosecutors painted as a portrait of jealous rage and unspeakable cruelty, centered on the deaths of 36-year-old Amalia Coc Choc de Pec and her young daughter, Estrella, who were found in a blood-soaked mobile home in the rural community of Dover.
Judge Sisco, visibly struggling to maintain her composure, described the crimes as “heinous, atrocious, and cruel” beyond comprehension. She specifically detailed the terror endured by the child, noting that the little girl was conscious and fighting for her life when she was attacked, her tiny hands bearing defensive wounds from trying to grab the blade that would end her life. The judge’s emotional delivery underscored the profound gravity of the decision, a stark contrast to the cold, calculated nature of the violence that brought the case before her.
The horrific events that led to this historic sentencing began on the evening of April 24, 2024, in a modest mobile home on the 3700 block of Sumner Road. According to court testimony, Amalia had returned home roughly three hours later than her partner expected after spending time with a friend. That perceived disobedience ignited a firestorm of jealousy in Cos Choc, a man who, unbeknownst to his partner, was already a fugitive from justice in his home country.
Prosecutors detailed a frenzied attack that began inside the home and spilled out into the yard. As Amalia screamed and attempted to flee, Cos Choc chased her down near a strawberry field, dragging her to a trailer in the backyard. There, the violence escalated to a level that shocked even seasoned detectives.
He beat her repeatedly with a shovel and stabbed her multiple times with a kitchen knife, the force of the blows bending the metal blade. Amalia fought desperately, leaving a bloody handprint on the side of the home as she tried to escape her attacker, but her efforts were futile.
Her body, partially clothed and covered with a tarp, was left in a pool of blood inside the trailer. But the nightmare was far from over. After extinguishing Amalia’s life, Cos Choc returned to the main residence, where four-year-old Estrella was taking a bath.
The water was still running when he entered the bathroom. The child, described by family as a joyful girl who loved to dance with a lollipop, was stabbed at least six times. Two of the wounds were deep cuts to her neck, but it was the four defensive wounds on her right hand that painted the most harrowing picture of her final moments.
Medical experts testified that Estrella was awake and aware, desperately trying to shield herself from the onslaught. She grabbed at the knife, her small hands sliced open as she fought for her life against a man who outweighed her by more than a hundred pounds. The scene in the bathroom was so horrific that first responders and investigators were deeply affected.
The little girl’s body was found in the tub, the water still running, mixing with the blood that had drained from her small frame.
The investigation revealed a trail of evidence that led authorities to Cos Choc within 24 hours. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies, responding to a report of a dead female, discovered Amalia’s body and then made the secondary discovery of the child in the bathroom. A bloody handprint on the exterior of the home, two bloodied shovels, and a bent kitchen knife discarded in a trash can provided the forensic backbone for the prosecution.
A massive manhunt involving K9 units tracked Cos Choc to a dense thicket less than two miles from the crime scene, where he was found hiding with a backpack, resisting arrest until he was subdued.
The trial, which took place in late 2025, peeled back the layers of Cos Choc’s past, revealing a history of violence that had been allowed to cross the border undeterred. Testimony established that Cos Choc was a Guatemalan national who had illegally entered the United States in September 2023. Upon his arrest, authorities discovered he was already wanted in Guatemala for two separate homicides, including the rape and murder of a woman in January 2022 and another killing in March 2023.
He had fled his homeland to escape prosecution for those crimes, slipping into the United States and eventually connecting with Amalia through Facebook while living in New Jersey.
Amalia, who had left three other children behind in Guatemala to seek better opportunities in the U. S. , was described by her family as a dedicated and selfless mother who worked hard to send money home.
She had no idea that the man she had welcomed into her life and her home was a fugitive with a trail of bodies behind him. Surveillance footage from earlier on the day of the murder showed Estrella happily at a grocery store, smiling and full of life, a stark and painful contrast to the gruesome scene that would unfold just hours later.
During the trial, Cos Choc took the stand in his own defense, claiming he had no memory of the killings, a defense that the jury swiftly rejected. After a week of testimony, they found him guilty on October 7, 2025, of two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, kidnapping, and aggravated child abuse. In the penalty phase, the prosecution hammered home the cruelty of the crimes, particularly the attack on Estrella.
Amalia’s family members traveled from Guatemala to testify, their grief palpable as they recounted the loss of their loved one and the bright future that was stolen from the little girl.
The jury recommended the death penalty by a vote of 10 to 2, a recommendation that Judge Sisco followed on Friday. As she read the sentence, the judge noted the calculated nature of the murders, the attempt to cover up the crimes, and the utter lack of remorse shown by the defendant. The emotional breakdown that followed the sentencing was seen by legal analysts as a final, desperate reaction to the reality of his fate, a fate that he had so violently inflicted upon two innocent people.
Cos Choc now joins the ranks of inmates on Florida’s death row, where he will await an execution date that could be years or even decades away due to the lengthy appeals process. For the family of Amalia and Estrella, the sentencing brings a measure of closure, but the pain of their loss remains immeasurable. They traveled thousands of miles to see justice served, and while they left the courtroom with the verdict they sought, they left without the two bright lights that were so brutally extinguished in that Dover mobile home.
The case has also reignited debates about border security and the vetting process for individuals entering the United States. The fact that Cos Choc, a man wanted for murder and rape in his home country, was able to cross the border and live freely in the community has raised serious questions among lawmakers and the public. Sheriff Chad Chronister, who oversaw the initial investigation, stated at the time of the arrest that this was a case of a “monster” who should never have been allowed into the country, a sentiment echoed by many who followed the trial.
As the first death sentence of 2026 is recorded in the annals of American jurisprudence, the image of Cos Choc being dragged from the courtroom in tears serves as a stark reminder of the finality of justice. The judge’s own tears, shed while describing the terror of a four-year-old girl fighting for her life in a bathtub, underscored the profound human tragedy at the heart of this legal proceeding. The sentence is a reflection of the community’s outrage and a testament to the severity of a crime that will forever mark the quiet fields of Dover, Florida.
