The Connecticut National Guard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are mourning the loss of Chasity Nunez, a Worcester woman who was killed with her daughter Zella in their car on Tuesday.
The mother and daughter were shot in a parked SUV in the area of Englewood Avenue and 1 Lisbon St. around 3 p.m. on March 5, police said. They were taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Karel Mangual, 28, was charged in connection with the killings with two counts of armed assault to murder and carrying a firearm without a license, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.’s spokesperson told MassLive. Judge John Stapleton ordered Mangual held without bail Thursday and scheduled his dangerousness hearing for March 12.
Police are still trying to find another suspect, Dejan Belnavis, 27, who is wanted on charges of armed assault with intent to murder and possession of a firearm without a license, Worcester police said in a press release Wednesday night. He should be considered armed and dangerous.
Nunez was a decorated patient administration specialist of the 142nd Medical Company based in Danbury, National Guard Major David Pytlik said in a statement to MassLive. She received the National Defense Service Medal, the Service Ribbon and the Army Achievement Medal, and served for four years after she began in 2020.
More News
- Several arrested after Springfield triple shooting
- Rusty bridge pushes Springfield City Councilors to demand better state maintenance
- All-abilities clinic at Westfield rink shows ‘curling truly is for everyone’
- Two Mass. natives make U.S. Olympic men’s gymnastics team
- Mashpee man pleads guilty to artificially inflating Getty Images stock price
“Our hearts are broken because we lost Specialist Chasity Nunez to senseless violence,” Pytlik said. “She and her daughter were killed while sitting in their vehicle in their own neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon. Chasity was beloved by her fellow soldiers in the 142nd Medical Company.”
Nunez’s “wit, social nature and dedication to duty made her one of the best Soldiers in our unit,” he continued. “
“I cannot begin to make sense of why this happened and why her family, friends, co-workers and fellow soldiers have been robbed of her and Zella,” Pytlik said. “What we can, and must do now, is support one another as we grieve, process this profound loss and honor their memory.”
He described her as incredibly resilient, brilliantly intelligent and “destined for success in her civilian and military careers, and more full of compassion than anyone I know.”
During this time, Nunez worked as a patient access representative at UMass Memorial Medical Center, beginning in March 2021, according to her LinkedIn.
Nunez served as a patient safety and clinical quality program coordinator at MIT Health since July 2023, MIT spokesperson Kimberly Allen told MassLive. Conversations are being had to offer care and support for colleagues she knew, along with conversations about setting aside time for MIT Health staff “to come together to mourn and reflect,” Allen said.
“Chas was passionate about the health and well-being of the MIT community,” Chief Health Officer Cecilia Stuopis said in a statement. “She was beloved by the colleagues who worked closely with her, and her dedication to our patients was powerful and impactful. She will be deeply missed.”