Two men accused of killing a mother and her 11-year-old daughter while they were sitting in a car near their home were ordered held without bail Wednesday in Worcester Superior Court.
Chastity M. Nunez, 27, and her daughter, Zella, were shot March 5 on Englewood Avenue, authorities said. Chastity Nunez was a member of the Connecticut National Guard and her daughter was a beloved student at the Columbus Park School.
Karel S. Mangual, 28, and Dejan D. Belnavis, 27, were arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder. Both men were kept out of public view during a brief court proceeding and spoke only to answer “not guilty” to the charges.
No new information was disclosed in court, according to a recording. Prosecutors have not identified a motive for the killing.
Authorities say that the two men allegedly drove around the neighborhood in a white sedan before they parked, approached the car, and opened fire. A witness saw the car’s license plate number and provided it to investigators, who learned that Belnavis had been driving that car when it was involved in an accident in Shrewsbury in January, police said. Using the car’s onboard electronics, police tracked it to Hartford, Conn., where a relative of Belnavis lived, police said.
Video showed Mangual stepping out of the vehicle near the relative’s home, his face fully visible, according to police. He was wearing the same “distinctive black and purple shoes” that one of the shooters was wearing, authorities allege.
Mangual was arrested in Worcester several hours after the shooting. Belnavis was eventually tracked down in California and taken into custody.
Nunez worked for the MIT Health system as a Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Program Coordinator. She had been a member of the Connecticut National Guard since 2021, serving with the 142nd Medical Company. She had received the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Army Achievement Medal.
Her daughter waw involved with Our Bright Future, a nonprofit based in Southbridge.
The two men return to court Nov. 11, records show.
John R. Ellement can be reached at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him @JREbosglobe.