Georgetown man charged w/burning wife to death

Meanwhile, police investigations into the death of a Stann Creek mother have led to the arrest of her husband. It is alleged that on March twenty-fourth, twenty-two year old Avette Augustine and her common-law husband twenty-eight year old Alvin Guzman were in their Georgetown Village home when the two became embroiled in an argument. The dispute escalated to deadly violence when Guzman reportedly doused his wife with gasoline and lit her on fire. Both Guzman and Augustine suffered severe burns but the young mother succumbed to her injuries on April first while being treated at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City. When questioned by authorities, the accused maintained his innocence, claiming that as he was lighting a fish coil to repel mosquitoes, there was a sudden explosion and they both caught fire. But police didn’t buy that story and on Friday, Independence police arrested and charged Guzman with Murder. He appeared in Dangriga Magistrates’ Court on Friday where he was ordered remanded to Hattieville Prison until May twenty-ninth. Guzman is still suffering from burns to his hands and face. The couple’s two children are now in the care of family members in the village. While there is no record of a complaint of spousal abuse against Guzman, Augustine’s relatives describe their loved one’s relationship as abusive.