Kriti Mehrotra
When Maria Muñoz was found dead inside her Laredo, Texas, home in the early hours of September 22, 2020, it left not just her loved ones but also the entire nation shocked to their very core. That’s because this mother of two had been senselessly murdered, as chronicled in CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Journals of Maria Muñoz,’ and it later came to light her estranged husband was the perpetrator. We specify estranged because not only had this duo been separated for months, but Joel Pellot had also already been living with his new girlfriend, Janet Arredondo, somewhere else entirely.
Who is Janet Arredondo?
It was reportedly around the end of 2010s when nurse anesthetist Joel came across Janet for the first time while at work, just for them to soon begin dating despite him being a married father. The truth is he’d grown unmotivated by his union with Maria following the arrival of their two then-toddler sons, Alejandro and Valentino Pellot, because she’d become a “boring” homemaker in his eyes. This professional thus initiated efforts to seek more than just pleasure outside his marriage, which soon resulted in him getting seriously involved with Janet — they believed they were in love.
In fact, according to reports, after Maria learned of her husband’s infidelity and discussed the same to reach the conclusion of separation, he almost immediately moved into a place with Janet. This new couple had hence been living together for months by the time September 22, 2020, rolled around, but all the latter knew of this fateful night was that her beau had asked her to delete their Ring camera footage. She purportedly had no clue he’d killed his wife in a fit of rage over her as king for divorce before telling officials it was an accident after he’d they’d spent the evening together trying to reconnect.
Janet Arredondo is Likely Still Serving as a Nurse Today
Despite the fact many have speculated Joel slew Maria either as a result of his own ego or for Janet, the truth is the last time this new couple ever spoke was hours prior to the horrific incident. The latter actually testified during her then-boyfriend’s March 2023 trial for murder that she hasn’t been in contact with him since September 2020 — she’d called things off the second she’d learned of his possible involvement in Maria’s demise. Coming to her current standing, with Joel’s conviction, not much is known about Janet’s recent personal or professional experiences because she prefers to remain well away from the limelight, yet it is believed she still serves as a nurse and is doing her best to move on from the past.
Read More: Maria Muñoz Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
