Man gets life in prison for ‘love triangle’ killing of wife, woman’s boyfriend

An El Paso Jury sentenced an El Paso County man to life in prison after convicting him for Capital Murder in a “love triangle” murder.

On Monday, July 2, 2018, Vicente Cuellar was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

On December 9, 2015, sheriff’s deputies responded to the 15000 block of N. Loop in Clint, Texas, to investigate an unattended death. The victim was identified as David Miranda.

An investigation led detectives to link Miranda’s death with the burned body of a woman discovered inside a vehicle two days earlier on the 3000 block of Carlsbad Road in Fabens. She was later identified as Maria Cuellar.

On August 30, 2016, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit arrested Vicente Cuellar and Alan Fraire on a charge of Capital Murder. Fraire’s is still awaiting trial.

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 torched 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 Cuellar 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.