Former Miss Venezuela/Telemundo actress & her ex-lover shot dead in Venezuela

Former Miss Venezuela 2004 and popular telenovela actress, Monica Spear, 29, and her ex-husband Thomas Berry, 39, were shot dead in their car on a highway in Venezuela by armed robbers in front of their 5 year old daughter on Monday January 6th, local news reports.

Monica and Thomas were traveling with their daughter late Monday night when their car hit a sharp object which had been placed on the Puerto Cabello highway.

The couple came out of their car and dialed for help. While waiting for a tow truck, they saw armed men coming their way and locked themselves in their car. The men, later found to be armed robbers, opened fire through the car window, killing Monica & Thomas and injuring their daughter. Continue

Police in Puerto Cabello say they have arrested five suspects, some of them teenagers. Monica and Thomas officially split two years but remained close and spent holidays together for the sake of their daughter. Monica resided in the US and was in Venezuela on holiday with her ex at the time of the incident. 

Monica appeared in a few Telemundo soaps including "Pasion Prohibida" and "Flor Salvaje" while Thomas was a travel consultant who lived in Caracas. He was British.

 Their car riddled with bullets...

There were an estimated 24,000 murders in 2013 in Venezuela, making it one of the world’s highest homicide rates. Gun ownership is also high in the country, with an estimated 15 million unlicensed weapons in circulation.