SANTA CLARA VILLAGE, Corozal District, Thurs. June 18, 2015–Maria Pech, 36, a housewife of Santa Clara, Corozal District, is lucky to be alive after her husband, Joel Alfredo Pech, 33, allegedly lashed her with a machete on her leg and body, and later set her afire.

Pech told police that when she went back to the house after escaping from him, her husband doused her with kerosene and tried to set her on fire. She managed to put out the flames, but suffered burns to her arms.

Neighbors called police and Pech’s husband was found in the village and arrested.

The incident occurred at about 7:30 Monday evening at the couple’s home in Santa Clara.

Corozal police reported that Joel Alfredo Pech was arrested and charged with attempted murder (of his wife), harm and aggravated assault; and other offences will be levied against him, they say.

Pech was arraigned in the Corozal Magistrate’s Court today, after a delay earlier in the week due to the absence of a magistrate in the court. He was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until September 3, when he will be returned to court.

Maria Pech told police that at about 7:30 Monday evening, she was at home working in the yard when her husband, who was sleeping in the house, awoke and began to use obscene language, and when she went into the house to see what was happening, he told her that he was going to kill her, and chop up the children.

Pech then got his machete and as she tried to run out of the house, he grabbed her and lashed her with the machete on her leg.

Maria reported that she thought that he was going to kill her, and ran out of the house, and that was when he threw the machete at her, but missed.

He then began to chase her, but she managed to escape.

She told police that when she returned home shortly after, he caught her and dragged her by the hair to the house, where he forced her inside and took her to the kitchen. He then threw kerosene on her and lit her, and he then ran from the house.

Pech told police that she managed to wash off some of the kerosene and put out the flames herself. When police arrived, they took her to the Corozal Town Hospital, where she was treated and doctors classified her injuries as grievous harm.