A 13-year-old girl girl is in a battle for her life after she was set on fire by her ex-boyfriend because she ended their relationship.
The girl suffered burns to almost 90 percent of her body after her 19-year-old ex poured gasoline on her body and set her on fire.
The suspect, Wilson Javier Meléndez Bonilla, entered the girl’s home in the southwestern Puerto Rican town of Cabo Rojo, on Saturday night, to find her asleep on the couch. He then poured gasoline on her body and set her on fire in what is being described as a crime of passion.
The victim’s mother, Nanette Martínez Camacho, suffered minor burns to her face and arms when she tried to save her daughter. The girl’s nine-year-old brother was also burned during the attack but his injuries are not life-threatening.
The victim was first taken to Hospital De La Concepción in San German before doctors stabilized her and transferred her to the University Pediatric Hospital in San Juan.
Meléndez Bonilla, who was still at the home when cops arrived to arrest him, has been charged with seven counts, including three attempted murder charges. He was transferred to a jail in Ponce after he failed to meet a $3.5million bail bond imposed by a judge in Mayagüez.
Martínez Camacho said she knows her daughter and Meléndez Bonilla were friends but she was unaware if they were involved in a romantic relationship.
El Vocero reported that Meléndez Bonilla told investigators he met the victim six months ago when she was just 12 and started attending a middle school in her neighbourhood.
The young girl called their relationship off a month ago and Meléndez Bonilla said he had gone a month without seeing her.
Reacting to the incident, the suspect’s mother, Keilla Bonilla, while holding back tears, said that the victim’s parents should also be held liable for the disturbing attack.
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