A broken, battered 32 year old woman says she begged her husband to stop hurting her the morning of her birthday.
He apparently did not and is accused of causing severe injuries to the woman and with a wooden baseball bat now in the evidence room at the San Juan Police Department.
Waldo Sanchez remains a fugitive from the law as his wife sits at home recovering. Their story sent shockwaves over Facebook as Action 4 News viewers sounded off.
Among the people calling for justice were just a few saying the victim "deserved it."
A woman named Fidencia writes in part, "Waldo is a good person, his wife always provoked him especially when he was drinking."
Counselors at the Family Crisis Center in Harlingen say families and friends of abusers usually stand by them.
"They are too scared to come forward because they say the family is threatening them. They blame the victim for sending their loved one to jail."
Brenda Heredia says alleged abusers like Sanchez will claim they hit the woman in self-defense.
Sanchez's supporters on Facebook claim his wife hit him first and he lost his temper.
"Where is the evidence? Does he have any bruises? Even if she hit him why did he continue to hit her with a bat all over her body? It doesn't make sense."
Until the accused abuser goes to trial only one side of the story is told, and the evidence speaks louder than words for this woman, just as claiming she "asked for it" keeps her from healing.
"These people need to realize that all they are doing is re-victimizing her by saying she deserved to get hit."
An attorney for Sanchez claims he will turn himself in to authorities Friday. The same attorney told Action 4 News he would turn himself in Wednesday and then Thursday and when asked why it hadn't happened he responded, "because his attorney is busy."
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