Hillsborough couple faces death penalty in double murder plot
TAMPA, Fla. - A young Hillsborough County couple is facing two first-degree murder charges after prosecutors said they plotted a murder and then planned to pin it on someone else, who they also killed.
Daniel Negrete and Fatima Avila are facing even more trouble after the state announced it would seek the death penalty for both defendants.
Daniel Negrete's cousin, Cornelio Negrete, who was later arrested for his alleged involvement, is not facing capital punishment at this time. Although, he is still trying to find a lawyer after his co-defendants already have court appointed attorneys.
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"We're moving to withdraw on conflict on Cornelio Negrete, keeping Daniel Negrete," regional counsel Kim Seace told the court.
One of the victim's Erica Negrete Aviles, 22, had no idea July 18, 2022, would be her last day alive. Prosecutors said Fatima Avila was the mastermind behind the revenge killings.
They said she helped her boyfriend, Daniel Negrete, kill his cousin's wife, Erica Aviles, because they believed she was having an affair with a co-worker. The mother of two was shot outside her home in Dover. Her husband, Cornelio Negrete Jr. was shot too but survived his injuries.
Fatima Avila then planned to pin the murder on her ex-boyfriend, telling an informant, "had to use someone to take the fall so who else better than my ‘ex’" court documents show.
On July 26, Antonio Cuellar Enriquez was found dead at the Baker Creek boat ramp in Thonotosassa. Detectives said Daniel Negrete was the shooter but tried to make it look like a suicide.
While records show Fatima Avila didn’t pull the trigger in either case, she is now facing the possibility of being handed the ultimate punishment by a jury.