A 23-year-old mother of two is in critical condition after her husband who suspected her of having an affair with his brother-in-law stabbed her 31 times as their young children watched in horror yesterday afternoon in Barili town, southwest Cebu.
Gemma (not her real name) is in critical condition at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center where she was transferred later in the day.
She was initially rushed to the Barili District Hospital after sustaining wounds in the chest, arms and stomach.
Her husband Jerome (real name also withheld) fled.
Investigation revealed that Jerome, 28 has been jealous of his sister’s husband.
Jerome’s sister and her husband used to live with them in their ancestral house in Barili.
They moved out to defuse the tension within the family.
Suspicious
SP04 Elsa Albuera, chief of the Women and Children’s Protection Desk of Barili Municipal Police Office, said that despite having moved out of the house, Jerome remains suspicious of his wife.
Yesterday, Jerome allegedly saw his wife entering the room where his sister and her husband used to stay. This apparently irked Jerome.
He then confronted his wife why she went inside the room which resulted in a heated argument.
Jerome grabbed a scissor and stabbed Gemma six times in the chest, eight times in both arms and 17 times in the stomach. The couple’s children, aged 8 and 4, witnessed the crime and shouted for help.
Despite her wounds, Gemma managed to get out of the house.
Her cousin who was on the way to the market saw her and immediately brought her to Barili District Hospital.