Teen doused in gasoline and set on fire by ex-boyfriend for breaking up with him
A 13-year-old girl who was set on fire by her ex-boyfriend because she ended their relationship is now fighting for her life with 90 percent burns on her body.
The incident, which occurred at the girl's residence in the Southwestern Puerto Rican town of Cabo Rojo Saturday night, saw 19-year-old Wilson Javier Meléndez Bonilla, enter the home and douse the youngster's body with gasoline before setting her ablaze, according to a Daily Mail report.
During the altercation, the victim's mother, 34-year-old Nanette Martínez Camacho, sustained minor burns to her face and arms while attempting to rescue her daughter. According to reports, the girl's nine-year-old brother was also burned with non-life threatening injuries during the premeditated attack.
Doctors at the Hospital De La Concepción in San German stabilized the young girl as soon as she arrived and had her moved to the University Pediatric Hospital in San Juan for further treatment.
Meléndez Bonilla was still at the home when responding officers arrived and arrested him. He was subsequently booked at a jail in Ponce on seven counts, including three attempted murder charges, and couldn't secure his release after failing to meet a $3.5million bail bond imposed by a judge in Mayagüez.
According to the girl's mother, she knew her daughter was friends with Bonilla but had no idea they were involved in a relationship, according to Puerto Rican news outlet Isla Oeste.
Bonilla reportedly dumped gasoline over the victim while she was sleeping on a couch and set her ablaze, according to Sergeant Joel Ayala Del Valle. Speaking to investigators, the suspect revealed he met the girl six months ago when she was just 12 before he started attending a middle school in her vicinity, according to El Vocero. Bonilla also said he had gone a month without seeing her after the young victim had called off their relationship.
In a conversation with WOLE 12, Keilla Bonilla, the suspect's mother, said the girl's parents should also be held liable for the violent attack. "They knew that he slept with her in the house," Keilla said. "The situation was addressed to them many times... He left my house two months to be with her."
According to the distraught mother, she had pleaded with her son on multiple occasions to stop seeing the girl as she was underage. "I am very sorry about what is happening," Keilla said. "I am a mother and I know that the girl is suffering. I ask God for the girl to get better."