Former Miss Venezuela 2004 and popular telenovela
actress, Monica Spear, 29, and her ex-husband Thomas Berry, 39, were
shot dead in
their car on a highway in Venezuela by armed robbers in front of their 5
year old daughter on Monday January 6th, local news reports.
Monica and Thomas were traveling with their daughter late Monday night
when their car hit a sharp object which had been placed on the Puerto
Cabello highway.
The couple came out of their car and dialed for help. While
waiting for a tow truck, they saw armed men coming their way and locked
themselves in their car. The men, later found to be armed robbers,
opened fire through the car window, killing Monica & Thomas and
injuring their daughter. Continue
Police in Puerto Cabello say they have arrested five suspects, some of
them teenagers. Monica and Thomas officially split two years but
remained close and spent holidays together for the sake of their
daughter. Monica resided in the US and was in Venezuela on holiday with
her ex at the time of the incident.
There were an estimated 24,000 murders in 2013 in Venezuela, making it one of the world’s highest homicide rates. Gun ownership is also high in the country, with an estimated 15 million unlicensed weapons in circulation.
