Murder of Maria Muñoz by husband Joel Pellot examined on Married to Evil

Married to Evil is investigating the murder of Maria Eugenia Muñoz by her husband, Joel Pellot, at their home in Laredo, Texas.

The couple had been married for a decade, and by all accounts, Maria was very much in love with Joel; however, by September 2020, she had become fed up with her husband’s ongoing extramarital affair.

Joel had previously told his wife he would end an affair with a woman he’d met at work, but after Maria spotted his car outside the woman’s home, she told him she wanted a divorce. The cops later recovered messages between the pair, where Maria agreed to sit down to talk about their situation before filing for separation.

On September 22, 2020, Pellot dialed 911, claiming his wife may have died from a drug overdose. The police officers who attended the scene would later testify that they thought Pellot was pretending to be upset about his wife’s death.

Initially, investigators examined the possibility that this was a suicidal death, but her family vehemently denied this. Maria kept a journal where she wrote about making plans for the future, and there were no indications that she was contemplating suicide.

An autopsy revealed the presence of a fatal cocktail of drugs in Maria’s system that included morphine, Demerol, Versed, propofol, ketamine, lidocaine, and Narcan. These drugs are generally used in surgery, and propofol needs to be injected.

Joel Pellot had the knowledge to administer drugs that killed Maria Muñoz

Pellot worked as a nurse anesthetist, meaning he had access to these drugs and knew how to administer them. The cops found a syringe wrapper and a needle catheter in the home.

At Pellot’s trial, the defense argued that the couple were drug users. Pellot’s attorney admitted that their client had injected Maria but claimed his intention was to get her high.

The prosecution argued that propofol does not cause a high; it stops an individual from breathing. They said Pellot knew this, and he purposefully injected it into his wife.

Joel Pellot sentenced to life for Maria Muñoz murder

In March 2023, Pellot was found guilty of murder and tampering with evidence. He was given a life sentence and is currently incarcerated at the W. F. Ramsey Unit prison in Rosharon, TX.

After the sentencing, Chief Assistant DA Marisela Jacaman read out a letter on behalf of Maria’s father. The letter was directed to the killer and lamented how he had once accepted Pellot into the family.

The letter read in part, “I blessed the marriage. Eleven years later, you returned her to me in an urn… Not only did you kill my joy, but you also took away my future plans to see my daughter grow to become a mom.”

Pellot’s legal team has since requested a new trial.

Married to Evil airs Sundays at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.