Assailants shot and killed a popular soap-opera actress and former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear along with her 39-year-old ex-husband Henry Thomas Berry in front of their 5-year-old when they resisted a robbery attempt, authorities said on Tuesday, as reported by The Associated Press.
They were awaiting a tow truck when they were killed.
Spear and Berry were killed late on Monday night after their car break down on a roadside near main port of Puerto Cabello. Their daughter was reportedly in stable condtion after suffering unspecified injuries. She is reportedly in recovery for a bullet wound to the leg and is under police protection.
Spear won Miss Venezuela in 2004 and then began acting in soap operas for the Telemundo network. She was vacationing in Venezuela at the time of her murder.
"In one video, posted two days ago and described as being taken on the plains of Apure state, Spear looks at the camera while riding a horse, turns away and then looks back, blowing a kiss," The AP reported. Spear had more than 355,000 followers on Twitter.
Venezuela has one of the hight murder rates in the world and "violent crime is so rampant that Venezuelans tend to stay home after dark. Spear's death triggered a wave of anger on social media directed at the populist government's poor record on crime," The AP also reported.
"I'm so sad for my Venezuela, my condolences for Monica Spear's family. Rage and impotence are what I feel right now," tweeted Venezuelan salsa singer Oscar D'Leon. Spear had been one of the most successful actresses in Venezuela at the time of her death. Some shows included the soap opera "La Mujer Perfecta," and also a recent starring role in "Flor Salvaje."
