Monday, May 30, 2011

Montgomery County, MD: Prosecutors: Man accused of killing roommate grew upset while watching soap opera

A man who stabbed and killed his new roommate Wednesday night is being held without bail after prosecutors described how the killing allegedly stemmed from watching a soap opera love triangle.

Carlos Tiul-Tiul, 29, of Bowling Green, Ky., is charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing death of Tomas Mo-Choc, 27, of North Potomac. Tiul-Tiul confessed the killing to police after he was found with a knife down the road from where he lived on Travilah Road, according to Montgomery County police charging documents.

Montgomery County District Court Judge Patricia L. Michell ordered Friday that Tiu-Tiu be held without bail because he does not live in Maryland or have family in the state and because of the seriousness of the crime.

Tiul-Tiul was represented in court Friday by public defender Brian Shefferman.

Tiul-Tiul and Mo-Choc, both landscapers, and their coworkers were watching a soap opera episode involving a love triangle shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tiul-Tiul began thinking about his own wife and whether she was involved with Mo-Choc, grabbed a knife and stabbed him, Deputy Maryland State's Attorney John Maloney said at the court hearing Friday.

Tiul-Tiul had arrived to work for the landscaping company from his home in Kentucky earlier that day, Maloney said.

When police found Tiul-Tiul down the road with the knife, he refused to drop the weapon and instead attempted to stab himself in the abdomen, according to court documents.

Police were called to the scene at about 9:30 p.m. by Adrian Guerra, owner of Adrian Lawn Care LLC, the landscaping service that employed both Tiul-Tiul and Mo-Choc.

Property records show the home, and the one adjacent to it, is owned by Guerra.

Guerra could not be reached for comment. The woman working at the Adrain Lawn Care office declined to provide her name Thursday.

Tiul-Tiul is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing June 17.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at 240-773-5070.

No comments: