A 19-year-old man accused of killing a woman in Great Falls, Virginia, was angered after she allegedly sent screenshots of their affair to his girlfriend, according to police documents.
Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos is charged with second-degree murder over the death of 42-year-old Carmen Lizet Puch, whose body was found near trails at Difficult Run Park on August 17.
Puch, from Reston, and Cedillos-Campos worked together at a restaurant in Herndon and were involved in what police described as an intimate relationship.
A witness told detectives that Cedillos-Campos left work early after learning that Puch had sent the screenshots to his girlfriend. He was allegedly upset and said he was going to kill Puch, according to the criminal complaint.
The witness later reported overhearing a telephone conversation between the pair at about 1.30am, during which they arranged to meet. Cedillos-Campos allegedly took a kitchen knife, a bottle of water and black latex gloves before leaving.
At about 4am, he called the witness and said he had “done it”, the documents state.
Investigators say surveillance footage from the restaurant supported the witness’s account. Police also used telephone records to confirm that Cedillos-Campos and Puch spoke in the early hours of August 17.
Fairfax County police said detectives later established that the pair had deliberately met at Difficult Run Park, in the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike. Puch was found near a 2011 Honda Civic registered in her name after a man out for a morning run called 911 at about 6.43am.
She had suffered multiple sharp-force injuries. An autopsy carried out on August 18 preliminarily identified the cause of death as multiple sharp-force injuries and the manner of death as homicide.
Police documents say black latex gloves and an empty water bottle were recovered at the scene. The bottle smelled of petrol, and investigators said Puch’s body also had an odour of petrol.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said Cedillos-Campos had allegedly siphoned petrol from his motorbike, emptied the water bottle and filled it with fuel. Police said Puch was doused with the petrol and that an attempt was made to set her on fire, but was unsuccessful.
Cedillos-Campos was arrested in Lanham, Maryland, on August 19, within 48 hours of the killing, following a joint effort involving Fairfax County police, Prince George’s County police and the US Marshals Service.
He was being held in Prince George’s County while awaiting extradition to Fairfax County. Police said he had also offered detectives a full confession, although the allegations will be tested in court.
Chief Davis said prosecutors could consider a more serious murder charge as the investigation continues, describing the evidence as suggestive of premeditation.
