Three Venezuelans jailed for murdering former beauty queen

Three Venezuelans have been sentenced from 24 years to 26 years in prison for murdering a former Venezuelan beauty queen and her ex-husband.

Monica Spear, 29, a famous actress and Thomas Berry, 39, were brutally killed after being attacked when their car broke down on a highway in central Venezuela in January.

The three men confessed to the murder, Xinhua reported citing a statement issued from the attorney general's office Tuesday.

Jean Carlos Colina, 19, got a 26-year sentence, while Jose Ferreira Herrera, 18, and Nelfrend Jimenez Alvarez, 21, were jailed for 24 years.

Four other men, a woman, and two teenagers still face proceedings in the case.

Spear won the Miss Venezuela in 2004 and lived in the US. When the incident happened, she was vacationing along with Berry and her five-year-old daughter, who took a bullet in her leg but survived the attack.

The incident shocked Venezuela, a crime-ridden nation where the official homicide rate in 2013 rose to 39 per 100,000 citizens, making it one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America.