Court documents: Woman found dead was married to suspect
EL PASO –
Two men were arrested on suspicion of capital murder in the December 2015 deaths of a woman whose burnt body was found inside the trunk of a car and a man whose death was initially considered unattended.
Deputies arrested 37-year-old Vicente Cuellar and 31-year-old Alan Fraire. Both were booked into the El Paso County Jail without bond.
On Dec. 7, 2015, deputies responding to a vehicle fire found the burnt body of Maria Cuellar on the 3000 block of Carlsbad Road in Fabens. Two days later, deputies responded to an unattended death on the 15000 block of N. Loop Drive in Clint. The body was later identified as that of David Miranda. The autopsies show Maria Cuellar died of a gunshot wound to her side, while Miranda died from several gunshot wounds to his head and torso, according to court records obtained by the ABC-7 I-Team
Investigators learned Vicente and Maria Cuellar were married, but were in the process of getting a divorce due to marital problems, the records show. The burnt car in which Maria Cuellar was found was registered to her husband.
Maria Cuellar worked for the Clint Independent School District. A district spokesman told ABC-7 Maria Cuellar worked in the transportation department. Witnesses told investigators Maria Cuellar was having an affair with Miranda, a coworker, the court documents state. Investigators also learned from the district that neither Maria Cuellar nor Miranda had shown up to work and had not called in.
Vicente Cuellar told investigators he had not seen his wife since about 1 p.m. Dec. 7 at their home. He said he went to a mechanic shop, returned home, then went to Fraire’s home, adding that he was at Fraire’s home between 5 and 7 p.m. before he was taken home. Fraire also told investigators he was with Vicente Cuellar and THAT he took him home before taking his family to dinner.
Detectives were able to obtain the phone records of Fraire and Cuellar, according to the court documents. The phone records show Vicente Cuellar was traveling between the alleged crime scenes between 6:30 and 6:50 the night of the shootings. Records also show Fraire was at or near where Miranda’s body was found right about the time when 15 to 20 gunshots were reported.
The complaint affidavits for both Vicente Cuellar and Fraire state that detectives advised them that they were “dishonest with our investigation.”
Investigators also said they found two distinct sets of footprints at both crime scenes. According to the court documents, detectives determined that two people committed the murders, saying it would require two people to drive the first victim’s car, set it on fire and leave in a second vehicle. Witnesses told investigators the saw a red pickup leaving the scene of the shooting. Vicente Cuellar drives a red pickup, records show.
Cuellar and Fraire were arrested after an eight-month investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit linked the two cases, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
