Venezuelan president: beauty queen's murder will be avenged 'with an iron fist'

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the minister of interior responded to the murder of former beauty queen and actress Monica Spear and her ex-husband Thomas Berry on Monday, with the president declaring he would act "with an iron fist" to hold the murderers accountable.

The president promised a crackdown on crime, stating "We cannot accept this under any circumstances."

At a news conference where he announced that five people had been arrested on suspicion of the "vile killing," Minister of Interior Miguel Rodriguez announced a government effort to address violence in Venezuela, calling for an emergency meeting of the country's governors. "The fight against violence has to involve all the authorities so the criminals know they'll face the full rigor of the law, because we've had enough already."

Spear and Berry were killed after their car broke down in Caracas in what authorities suspect was a botched robbery. Daughter Maya, 5, was shot in the leg during the attack.

Spear was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2004, and went on to star in several soap operas. She married Berry, an Irish businessman who moved to Venezuela as a child, in 2008 and gave birth to Maya a few months later. After their divorce, the couple remained close and continued to vacation together.

El Universal] [BBC] [UPI]