Mom stabbed to death, allegedly by teen with whom she was in intimate relationship: Police
A 19-year-old allegedly stabbed to death and tried to set on fire his coworker, with whom he was in an intimate relationship, authorities in Virginia said.
Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos has been taken into custody in connection with Monday's slaying of 42-year-old Carmen Puch, Fairfax County Police announced Wednesday.
Puch, of Reston, Virginia, was a "loving mother" who leaves behind a 3-year-old daughter, Fairfax County Police Department Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference.
"No one deserves to be treated the way that our victim was treated. And she was stabbed repeatedly, repeatedly, by our 19-year-old killer. ... The way that she was treated by this killer was reprehensible, to say the least," Davis said.
Cedillos-Campos and Puch, who worked together at a restaurant, met intentionally early Monday near Difficult Run Park, which leads to several trails in the Great Falls area, police said.
At the park, Cedillos-Campos allegedly stabbed Puch repeatedly and doused her in gasoline to try to set her on fire, but was unsuccessful in the attempt to burn her, police said.
Authorities said they have video footage showing Cedillos-Campos arming himself with the knife at the restaurant early Monday. He allegedly left the restaurant with a knife, gloves and a water bottle, and he filled the bottle with gasoline and "set off to murder Carmen Puch," Fairfax County Assistant Chief of Investigations Rachel Levy said.
Cedillos-Campos has been apprehended in Prince George's County, Maryland, for second-degree murder, police said. He's being interviewed and is "fully confessing to our detectives," Davis said.
The chief said detectives "are still uncovering the many layers of motive."
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Cedillos-Campos came to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador. DHS said Customs and Border Protection arrested him in April 2024 and then "released" him into the U.S.
ABC News' Luke Barr contributed to this report.
