Monica Spear, 29, was shot to death while on vacation with her ex-husband, Thomas Henry Berry, 39, and their daughter Maya. Monica’s brother, Ricardo Spear Mootz, says the family wanted Monica to stay out of the country, which already has a reported 70 murders in the first week of 2104. “She loved her country too much,” he said.
Her brother Ricardo told NBC: “She loved her country too much. It was her home.” He says the family, who lives in Florida, wanted Monica to come live with them in the U.S. permanently.
“She was a person with dreams, and a person who worked really hard for what she wanted,” he continued.
Though Monica and Thomas weren’t together anymore, they remained close friends and would vacation as a family often.
Luis Dominguez, who ran an touring business with Thomas said: “They were a great couple.”
Monica and her ex-husband were on a vacation when they got into a small car accident on the Valencia-Puerto Cabello highway on Jan. 6. As they were stranded on the side of the road, gunman killed the two adults and the little girl was wounded. She is now recovering from her injury.
Diego Sanchez, a friend of the couple’s for about six years, said the shooting made him weary about staying in Venezuela:
“To think there are people who can shoot a mother and father in front of their daughter is very sad and unbelievable. And it’s shocking when it happens to someone you know.”
Monica became famous after winning the title of Miss Venezuela in 2004 and appearing on the Telemundo soap operas “Flor Salvaje” (Savage Flower) and “Pasion Prohibida” (Forbidden Passion).
— Dory Larrabee
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