In the early morning hours of July 20, 2021, the life of Marie De La Cruz Chavarria, a 29-year-old Hispanic mother of two, was brought to a violent and tragic end in Summerville, South Carolina. As she drove along Brighton Park Boulevard on her way to work before sunrise, she was pursued by her husband, Salin Mojica-Hernandez. He followed her from their home in his own vehicle, ultimately forcing her to pull over.
The events that unfolded next were a brutal culmination of a history of
domestic turmoil. Mojica-Hernandez first shot at his wife while she was still inside her car. In a desperate attempt to escape, she fled the vehicle but only made it to a nearby grassy median before she was shot five more times, collapsing just feet away from her children's car seats and strollers that were in her car. A passing driver discovered her body on the median with her car's lights still on and called for help, but it was too late. An investigation would later reveal that Chavarria had sustained a total of six gunshot wounds.
The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office quickly identified Salin Mojica-Hernandez as the primary suspect. Evidence gathered by investigators, including surveillance footage from their home, showed him pursuing his wife as she left for work. The footage also captured his return 15 minutes later, wearing only his boxer shorts and carrying a box. Further investigation of his cell phone records and surveillance from local businesses placed him in close proximity to the crime scene. It was also discovered that he had been inquiring about purchasing 9mm ammunition, the same caliber used in the murder, just weeks prior.
Prior to the murder, law enforcement had been called to the couple's residence on three separate occasions in the preceding year for domestic violence incidents, though Chavarria had declined to press charges each time. In the time leading up to her death, she had been actively seeking a divorce attorney to help her remove Mojica-Hernandez from their shared home. During the investigation, family members spoke of the abuse and humiliation she had endured. Two days into his murder trial, after the prosecution had presented over 70 pieces of evidence, Salin Mojica-Hernandez pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 42 years in prison for the murder of his wife and an additional five years for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, with the sentences to run concurrently.
