GREAT FALLS, Va. — Newly reported court documents are shedding light on what investigators believe led to the killing of 42-year-old Carmen Lizet Puch, a Reston mother found stabbed to death near Difficult Run Park last month.
Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, is charged with second-degree murder in Puch’s Aug. 17 death. Police previously said the two worked together at Bitez restaurant in Herndon and had an intimate relationship.
Now, a witness has told investigators that Puch sent screenshots documenting that relationship to Cedillos-Campos’ girlfriend, according to accounts of the criminal complaint. The witness allegedly said Cedillos-Campos became angry, left work early and threatened to kill Puch.
Investigators say phone records also support a witness account that Cedillos-Campos and Puch spoke around 1:30 a.m. and arranged to meet.
- Puch, 42, was the mother of a 3-year-old daughter.
- A witness allegedly heard Cedillos-Campos threaten to kill Puch after she disclosed their relationship.
- Cedillos-Campos is charged with second-degree murder.
Police allege Cedillos-Campos took a fixed-blade kitchen knife, black latex gloves and a water bottle from the restaurant before meeting Puch near Difficult Run Park off Georgetown Pike.
Investigators say surveillance video captured him taking the items. He allegedly emptied the bottle and later filled it with gasoline siphoned from his motorcycle.
Authorities allege Cedillos-Campos repeatedly stabbed Puch before pouring gasoline on her in an unsuccessful attempt to burn her body. Puch was discovered near her Honda Civic shortly before 7 a.m. A preliminary autopsy found she died from multiple sharp-force injuries.
Investigators reportedly recovered black latex gloves and an empty bottle that smelled of gasoline near the scene.
“This criminal illegal alien from El Salvador fatally stabbed 42-year-old Carmen Lizet Puch in a park in Virginia after he had been RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “If it weren’t for Biden’s reckless America Last policies, this woman would still be alive and her killer wouldn’t be here. ICE is calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and Fairfax County sanctuary politicians to cooperate with ICE and commit to NOT releasing this killer from jail. Virginia sanctuary politicians must stop gambling with the lives of American citizens. Enough is enough.”
The newly disclosed witness account also includes another allegation: around 4 a.m., Cedillos-Campos allegedly called the witness, said he had “done it” and hung up.
Police identified Cedillos-Campos as a suspect and arrested him in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis later said the teenager was providing investigators with what Davis described as a full confession.
Puch had reportedly moved from New Jersey and was building a life with her young daughter before her death.
Cedillos-Campos faces a second-degree murder charge. The statements attributed to him, the alleged motive and other accusations contained in the court documents remain allegations as the criminal case proceeds.
New court documents reveal an alleged motive in the killing of Reston mother Carmen Lizet Puch, whose 19-year-old coworker is charged with second-degree murder.
Carmen Lizet Puch, Alexis Cedillos-Campos, Great Falls murder, Difficult Run Park, Fairfax County
Sources: Fairfax County Police Department (police statements), Department of Homeland Security, ICE
