Between December of last year and January of this year, three women were killed by their husbands. But tonight, the story is the other way around. A husband was killed this morning by his wife in San Jose Succotz. It happened before 6:00 am in the quiet western village. It's left two families devastated and that tiny, tightly knit community in shock. 7NEWS went west to find out what would make a wife kill her husband - with their infant child in the house.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
This is the modest two bedroom home where Conelio and Glenda Montero were living and raising their three year old child. It's a quiet, almost idyllic setting, near the top of a hill in the new cemetery area of San Jose Succotz. But this morning, it was a murder scene, as the man of the house, 23 year old Cornelio Montero was found dead inside the house.
He was allegedly stabbed by his wife, 23-year-old Glenda Montero. A few minutes before 6:00 am, she called 911 and told them she had stabbed her husband. When police got there, they found her crying, their 3-year-old son was awake and Cornelio Montero was lying on the ground, dead. He had been stabbed once to his chest with a kitchen knife.
Glenda Montero confessed to stabbing him. She reportedly told police that they had been arguing about money, and she was angry with him because he didn't have a job. But that's not what his family says. The Monteros say he was working with her father in law. But for his mother, Carmen Montero, she says
that it's the culmination of a long history of abuse.
Carmen Montero, Mother of Deceased
"It's now been two years since she cut his arm with a machete on Orange Walk. Due to his injury we rushed to Belize. At the hospital they put blood back in him and he got better. After that we returned back to Belize. One day in the room she was hitting him even though someone was in between them. I told her why is she hitting him like that if he is not able to do anything because of his arm injury. The hate she had against me led to forbidding him to come see me.
It was only till last night that he was here and I gave him some seaweed to drink. I also gave him some tomatoes and biscuit to take with him. I don't know if that was the cause of their big problem because she didn't want him to come see me. For eight days he slept at my house because she would chain up the fence and he would not be able to go home."
Cornelio Montero's sister says that her brother did not provoked this by a beating, she clams her brother did not provoke this by a beating. She claims her brother did not beat his wife.
Jules Vasquez,
Is your brother, did he drink a lot, did he beat her?
Sandra Vivas, Sister of the deceased
"No he doesn't drink, he doesn't beat her because he said a man shouldn't beat a woman and he told me doesn't want to beat his woman. Every time he said that so we don't what happened."
Jules Vasquez,
So then she used to beat him.
Sandra Vivas,
"That is what those people said, every time it happened."
Antonili Montero, Father of the deceased
"They had small disagreements but sometimes we man and sometimes the women can do it better because we avoid a lot of problems."
Now the only consolation this mother wants is to have custody of her grandchild.
Carmen Montero,
"He's only three years old. That's all I am asking for-that they give me the authority to be able to take care of my baby just like I took care of the dad. That is what I would hope for, to see if I can take care of the boy. Give the child to me. I don't have riches, God knows that I don't, but in this house I can raise him up. Maybe I can give him the love that he needs."
And while Cornelio Montero's grandmother cries for custody of her grandson, presently, as we understand it, the child is with Glenda Montero's adoptive parents. As for Glenda Montero, she was arraigned for murder this morning, just hours after the killing and has been remanded to the Hattieville Prison.
