An illegal immigrant accused of fatally stabbing a co-worker near a Virginia trail allegedly killed her after she exposed their affair to his girlfriend, according to a witness who spoke with police. Prosecutors stated that Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, admitted to the killing, describing it as "very premeditated."
Authorities allege that Cedillos-Campos obtained a kitchen knife, latex gloves, and a water bottle from the restaurant where he and the victim, Carmen Lizet Puch, worked. A co-worker told police that Cedillos-Campos expressed his intent to harm Puch after she sent screenshots of their affair to his girlfriend. The co-worker reported overhearing Cedillos-Campos arranging to meet Puch in the parking lot of Difficult Run Park in Great Falls, Virginia, around 1:30 a.m. on August 17.
Later, around 4 a.m., the co-worker reportedly received a call from Cedillos-Campos, who allegedly admitted, "he did it," which the co-worker interpreted as a confession to killing Puch. Puch was discovered later that morning by a jogger, who found her lying next to her vehicle with multiple stab wounds. Investigators believe Cedillos-Campos attempted to set her body on fire using gasoline siphoned from a motorcycle, which he had poured into the water bottle.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis noted that surveillance footage showed the suspect at the restaurant arming himself before going to meet the victim with the intent to kill. Cedillos-Campos and Puch worked together at Bitez restaurant in Herndon, Virginia, and were involved in an intimate relationship.
Cedillos-Campos was apprehended on August 19 in Prince George's County, Maryland. Prosecutors stated he attempted to flee from officers during his arrest. He has since confessed to the murder. He is currently being held without bond on a second-degree murder charge, with his next court appearance scheduled for November 30.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Cedillos-Campos was apprehended by Border Patrol agents in April 2024 after illegally crossing the U.S. border near El Paso, Texas. He was taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection but subsequently released and had been residing in the United States since that time.