(NewsWorthy.news) – Days after the double murder of a National Guard member and her young daughter, police are engaged in a manhunt for the man suspected of committing the crime.
Chastity Nuñez, a member of the Connecticut Army National Guard with several medals to her name, was found dead in a car beside her 11-year-old daughter, Zella, on March 5. The two were shot and killed in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Worcester Police Department had been tracking down 27-year-old Dejan Belnavis, who was “considered armed and dangerous.”
On March 11, the suspect was apprehended in San Diego, California. Belnavis was subsequently charged with unpermitted carrying of a firearm and armed assault to murder. His arrest comes after the United States Marshals Service put out a reward of $5,000 for anyone who provided information that would lead to his capture.
Belnavis was caught days after Karel Mangual, his 28-year-old partner in crime, was taken in by police. Previously, Mangual pleaded guilty to possessing a loaded machine gun and armed assault to murder, being sentenced to between three and five years in state jail. Both men face the same charges for their involvement in the murders, which was reportedly caught on surveillance cameras.
At the time of the tragedy, Nuñez and her daughter were sitting in a parked Nissan Rogue when Mangual and Belnavis approached the vehicle and began shooting it. Both witnesses and surveillance footage show that the two men drove off in a white sedan after the shooting.
The two victims were found with serious injuries and quickly transported to a nearby hospital, where they were later pronounced dead. Both are remembered fondly as their community grieves their tragic deaths.
Zella, who was a sixth-grade student at Worcester Public Schools, was beloved by her many friends and respected by her teachers. Her mother had just finished four years of service to the 142nd Medical Company in Danbury, Connecticut. Nuñez worked as a patient administration specialist, earning the Service Ribbon, the Army Achievement Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal for her efforts.
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