Nurse anesthetist with Fort Worth ties accused of killing his wife in Laredo last year
A nurse anesthetist with ties to the Fort Worth medical community is accused of killing his wife in Laredo by using a “powerful medication or drug.”
Joel Pellot, 42, of Laredo was in the Webb County Jail on Monday after his arrest on Jan. 16 on the charge of murder.
Pellot is a traveling nurse who works on a temporary basis at hospitals, according to an official at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth.
The Laredo nurse started working at JPS in October 2020, and his last scheduled day was Jan. 15, the day before he was arrested.
Pellot has listed a medical office at 1400 8th Ave. in Fort Worth, which is the same address for Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth.
A Baylor Scott & White official said Pellot does not have privileges at the hospital and has not worked there.
A health care website says Pellot is a registered nurse anesthetist specialist in Laredo, having graduated in 2014 and been affiliated with many hospitals such as Doctors Hospital of Laredo and Laredo Medical Center.
Pellot is accused of killing his 31-year-old wife, María Eugenia Muñoz, on Sept. 22 at their Laredo home.
Laredo police did not provide any details on a motive for the killing, but the victim’s sister told KGNS affiliate station Telemundo Puerto Rico that the couple, who had been married for 10 years, were facing marital problems.
“He made her suffer in person, a lot, a lot, “ Marisol Munoz told the news agency. “It was two years of marital troubles, but at the same time he would not let her go.”
Marisol Munoz said her sister had gotten into a fight with Pellot and she had reached out to an attorney the day before her death.
Pellot had requested his wife be cremated before authorities conducted an autopsy, according to Maria Munoz’s sister.
A warrant obtained by MundoHispanico in Texas said Pellot called 911 about 1:30 a.m. on Sept. 22 to report his wife was unconscious from an overdose.
When they arrived, paramedics could not save Maria Munoz and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
During her autopsy, something caught the attention of forensic doctors, who shared the information with Laredo homicide detectives.
For four months, Laredo detectives investigated the case, leading to Pellot’s arrest just a few days ago.
An autopsy signed by an official with the Webb County Medical Examiner’s Office indicated that Maria Munoz died from an ingestion of powerful medication or drug.
The warrant noted that authorities believed the powerful drug was allegedly provided to Munoz by Pellot, who had a vast knowledge of drugs.
Pellot remained in the Webb County Jail in Laredo on Monday with bail set at $200,000.
The couple’s two children were in the care of a family member.
