Hector Gamaliel Argueta-Guerra faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Aurelia Choc Cac, her 17-year-old daughter Niurka Zuleta Choc, and 2-year-old son Anthony Garcia Choc. Authorities found their bodies buried in a clandestine grave in woods associated with Argueta-Guerra. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.
Authorities in Alabama discovered the bodies of Aurelia Choc Cac, 40, her daughter Niurka Zuleta Choc, 17, and son Anthony Garcia Choc, 2, buried in plastic and bedding in a wooded area of Baldwin County. The victims had been killed with a sharp-edged weapon: the boy suffered sharp force trauma to the head, while his mother was stabbed in the chest and back, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate WPMI. Identification is based on jewelry found with the remains, though formal confirmation continues, Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said at a press conference on Wednesday after the bodies' discovery at a property linked to the suspect. The family was last seen around 3 p.m. on January 30 at their home in the 9000 block of Ben Hamilton Road in Theodore, about 15 miles southwest of Mobile. They were reported missing the next day following police discovery of signs of a struggle, including significant blood evidence, at the residence. Hector Gamaliel Argueta-Guerra, 31, has been held in Mobile County Jail since February on kidnapping charges. Prosecutors added the first-degree murder counts on Thursday and intend to pursue capital punishment. Sheriff Burch described the suspect as 'an evil person who will face his judgment soon' and questioned any possible motive, asking, 'What motive would there be for killing a 2-year-old? We don't know.' Argueta-Guerra is said to be a member of the Sureños gang and had been slated for deportation in 2021 but was released. The sheriff's office posted on Facebook: 'Hector, you are a sick person to do what you did to this family and we know if convicted, you will never see the outside world again.'
