Suspect in murders of Worcester mother and daughter held without bail
WORCESTER - A Worcester man is being held without bail until a dangerousness hearing next week, one of two men accused of shooting and killing 27-year-old Chasity Nunez and her 11-year-old daughter Zella as they sat in a parked SUV on Englewood Avenue around 3:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
Twenty-eight-year-old Karel Mangual, with a history of alleged violence, is charged with two counts of armed assault to murder and carrying a gun without a license.
Prosecutors say the horrific crime was caught on surveillance video. "Two people walk up to a vehicle and start shooting the vehicle. Two men run down the street to where witnesses say a white sedan was parked," said prosecutor David Feraco.
They say the white sedan was seen circling the area before the shooting and took off shortly after.
Mangual's alleged accomplice is 27-year-old Dejan Belnavis who is still at large. Prosecutors say a witness gave police a license plate number of the alleged getaway car, and through cellphone records they traced the car to Hartford, Connecticut where they say Belnavis has relatives, and where surveillance video also captures the two men getting out, Mangual wearing the same distinctive purple and black sneakers.
Defense attorney Richard Farrell calls it a rush to judgement with no probable cause. "There's no witness or otherwise to say Mr. Mangual is holding a firearm, or was firing a firearm at a car," said Farrell.
In January 2016, Mangual pleaded guilty to several charges including armed assault to murder and possessing a loaded machine gun. He was sentenced to three to five years in state prison.
With Belnavis still on the run, it's unclear how Mangual allegedly made his way back to Worcester, and was arrested at a traffic stop near a gas station that is also close to the crime scene.
"All of a sudden I saw all the cops, they had guns out," said a man who works at the gas station who did not want to be identified.
The victims are being mourned by family and neighbors. Chasity Nunez served four years in the Connecticut National Guard and is remembered for her dedication, resiliency and intelligence.
"Her wit, social nature and dedication to duty made her one of the best Soldiers in our unit. I cannot begin to make sense of why this happened and why her family, friends, co-workers and fellow Soldiers have been robbed of her and Zella. What we can, and must do now, is support one another as we grieve, process this profound loss and honor their memory," said Major David Pytlik from the Connecticut Army National Guard in a statement. He also said she was "more full of compassion than anyone I know."
But with a suspect still at large, neighbors in Worcester remains uneasy. "We just had an unsettling thing happen that's never happened here before. I can't even imagine how it is for the family," said Maureen Morales.
A dangerousness hearing for Karel Mangual is scheduled for March 12.
