Disturbing motive revealed after 19-year-old allegedly stabbed Virginia co-worker found drenched in gasoline

“SHE SENT THE SCREENSHOTS TO MY GIRLFRIEND AND I HAD TO END IT”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, PROSECUTORS SAY 19-YEAR-OLD SALVADORAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALEXIS ANTONIO CEDILLOS-CAMPOS STABBED HIS CO-WORKER CARMEN LIZET PUCH TO DEATH IN A PARK AFTER SHE EXPOSED THEIR SECRET AFFAIR… AND HE IS NOW FACING A CHARGE OF SECOND-DEGREE MURDER IN FAIRFAX COUNTY WHILE HELD WITHOUT BOND.

Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, a 19-year-old Salvadoran illegal immigrant, stands accused of murder in northern Virginia.

Fairfax County prosecutors presented the allegations against Cedillos-Campos during a court hearing on Monday.

According to court documents, he allegedly stabbed and killed his co-worker, Carmen Lizet Puch.

A fellow employee who worked alongside both individuals provided key statements to police regarding the alleged motive.

The details were outlined in a criminal complaint obtained by WJLA.

Investigators determined that Cedillos-Campos and Puch worked together at Bitez restaurant, a Halal-focused eatery located in Herndon, Virginia.

Authorities also established that the two co-workers had been involved in an intimate relationship prior to the killing.

According to the witness, Cedillos-Campos expressed a direct intent to kill Puch after she sent screenshots to his girlfriend proving they were having an affair.

On August 17, Cedillos-Campos allegedly began preparing for the encounter while at the restaurant.

The co-worker claimed to have seen Cedillos-Campos take a kitchen knife from the business.

The witness reported that he also took a pair of latex gloves.

Cedillos-Campos then reportedly took a water bottle from the establishment.

Fairfax County police stated that restaurant surveillance video captured those preparations.

“We have video footage of our suspect at the restaurant where he worked with our victim, arming himself with a fixed blade knife, taking a pair of black latex gloves, taking a water bottle, and then off he goes with the intent to do harm and kill the victim,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.

Around 1:30 a.m. on August 17, the co-worker overheard Cedillos-Campos arrange a meeting with Puch over the telephone.

Cedillos-Campos then traveled to meet Puch in the parking lot of Difficult Run Park in Great Falls.

The park is located approximately 15 miles outside Washington, D.C.

Then at around 4 a.m., Cedillos-Campos allegedly placed another phone call to the co-worker.

Cedillos-Campos allegedly admitted during the call that “he did it” before abruptly hanging up.

According to the complaint, the co-worker interpreted that statement to mean Cedillos-Campos had killed Puch.

Later, a jogger passing through the area discovered Puch lying near her vehicle.

Her car was identified as a 2011 Honda Civic parked in a small gravel parking lot near the trail.

The jogger immediately dialed 911 after locating her body.

First responders discovered that Puch had suffered multiple stab wounds.

She was also found drenched in gasoline.

Officials described Puch as a “loving mother of a 3-year-old girl.”

Investigators believe Cedillos-Campos stabbed Puch repeatedly before attempting to destroy evidence.

According to Chief Davis, investigators believe Cedillos-Campos siphoned gasoline from a motorcycle into the water bottle he brought from the restaurant.

Police said he then used the fuel in a failed attempt to set Puch’s body on fire.

Chief Davis described the suspect’s actions as “very premeditated.”

And on August 19, law enforcement officers located Cedillos-Campos in Prince George’s County.

Prosecutors said Cedillos-Campos attempted to flee from officers when police confronted him, according to reporting from WUSA 9.

Officers took him into custody following the encounter.

Chief Davis said Cedillos-Campos confessed to the killing after his arrest.

Federal authorities also reviewed Cedillos-Campos’s immigration background following the arrest.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Border Patrol agents previously detained Cedillos-Campos in April 2024.

That encounter occurred after he illegally crossed into the United States near El Paso, Texas, during the Biden administration.

Customs and Border Protection took him into custody at that time.

Federal authorities subsequently released Cedillos-Campos, and he had been living in the United States since that release.

Cedillos-Campos faced a formal charge of second-degree murder during his court appearance on Monday.

A judge ordered him held without bond.

His next court appearance is scheduled for November 30, according to court records.

The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.