The Lehigh County coroner was on the scene of a reported fatal shooting July 15, 2022, in a parking lot in the 7100 block of Ruppsville Road in Upper Macungie Township.Courtesy WFMZ Channel 69 News

An Allentown man claimed he had a plan to kill his estranged wife’s boyfriend early Friday morning, but instead fatally shot his wife, who had filed for a protection-from-abuse order the day before her death, investigators said.

Surveillance video recorded the shooting that left 44-year-old Maria I. Guzman-Rodriguez dead inside her son’s Jeep, parked outside the Lineage Logstics warehouse in Upper Macungie Township where she worked.

Her estranged husband, Jose Angeles-Bencosme, was arrested Friday and charged with homicide and carrying a firearm without a license in her killing.

Angeles-Bencosme, 55, is being held without a bail. An attorney had not yet entered an appearance in the case.

In an interview with police after his arrest in Allentown, Angeles-Bencosme allegedly said he rented a car and drove to the warehouse to confront and kill his wife’s boyfriend, court papers said.

Angeles-Bencosme admitted opening fire on the Jeep to kill the driver, but said he could not see who was in the driver’s seat because it was dark and the vehicle’s windows are tinted, court papers say.

The victim’s boyfriend told police Angeles-Bencosme previously threatened to kill both of them, and that Guzman-Rodriguez requested and received a protection-from-abuse court order on Thursday.

That afternoon, Angeles-Bencosme rented a maroon Nissan Sentra, police said.

Surveillance video from early Friday morning showed the victim driving a red Jeep into the warehouse parking lot and parking, and a dark-colored Nissan Sentra without its headlights on driving in and parking two spaces away, court paperwork says.

The driver of the Nissan, later identified by the couple’s son as Angeles-Bencosme, got out and walked to the Jeep’s driver’s side door and shot four times into the Jeep’s window, court papers say. Police said the gunman used a Glock 19 9mm pistol.

The gunman then walked back to the Nissan and drove away.

Upper Macungie Township police were called at 3:48 a.m. Friday for a shooting in the warehouse parking lot, and found Guzman-Rodriguez fatally wounded and multiple bullet holes in the Jeep’s window.

Guzman-Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene, and her death was ruled a homicide, authorities said. Four 9mm shell casings were collected from outside the Jeep.

Police interviewed the victim’s boyfriend and the estranged couple’s son, who lived with his father in Allentown since his parents separated.

The son watched the surveillance video of the shooting and identified his father as the shooter, police said.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.

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