Arrests Made In The Murders of Former Miss Venezuela and Her Ex-Husband

Five suspects have been arrested in the murders of former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear, 29, and her ex-husband Thomas Henry Berry, 39. The pair were shot and killed in front of their 5-year-old daughter during an attempted robbery.

Reports say that some of the suspects are under the age of 18.

Police believe the pair were killed while trying to stop a group of would-be robbers alongside a stretch of road in Venezuela on Monday. Jose Gregorio Sierralta, director of the country’s investigative police, told reporters their car had been disabled by a series of tire punctures:

Two tow trucks arrived almost immediately afterward, said Sierralta,
and the attack occurred after the car had been lifted onto one of the
trucks. Seeing the assailants coming, the travelers locked themselves inside and the assailants fired at least six shots, he said.

Spear became Miss Venezuela in 2004, and eventually went on to be a runner-up in the Miss
Universe pageant. She was also known for her roles in soap operas, including Pasion Prohibida for Telemundo. Berry, a British citizen who ran a travel agency, moved to Venezuela when he was a child.

Maya, the daughter who witnessed the murders, was treated for a leg wound and released to relatives.