17:16 08 January 2014
Brit Thomas Berry and his ex-wife Miss Venezuela Monica Spear Mootz were shot dead in front of their five-year-old daughter during a horrendous roadside robbery in Venezuela.
Based on reports, the couple was attacked by five men after their car broke down on a motorway. They were targeted as their car was being loaded onto a recovery truck. Their daughter, who survived the accident, was shot in the leg and is currently under police protection.
39-year-old Thomas, who was a travel firm boss, was shot in the chest while Monica, who was a 29-year-old soap star and was also crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004, was hit in the armpit.
The couple divorced last year but they remained good friends as confirmed by a friend. Their bodies were found inside their Toyota.
Meanwhile, five men were arrested and are currently being questioned by police in connection to the murders. Two are understood to be minors aged 15 and 16.
Venezuela’s Communications and ¬Information Minister Delcy Rodriguez vowed to bring the killers to justice, adding: “The full weight of the law will be applied here.”