Crime & Safety

Man went into ex-girlfriend’s house, poured her with gas and set her on fire while her minor granddaughters were in their room

Murder rates across the country and the number of domestic violence incidents have been on the rise in the last couple of years setting new record high numbers every year. Experts claim that the pandemic, and especially the quarantines, additionally affected the situation increasing the number of domestic violent crimes.

When it comes to domestic violence cases, many of them remain unreported for different reasons and they are usually resulting with injured victims and sometimes deaths. In today’s case, a minor child was the hero when she managed to save her grandmother’s life after she was attacked by her ex-boyfriend.

The 52-year-old Deborah R. sustained harrowing injuries on her face and body after her ex-boyfriend, the 43-year-old Roberto C., poured gas all over her and lit her on fire by throwing a lighter inside her house in Texas.

Reportedly, Deborah was a certified nursing assistant and had just gotten off work when Roberto started arguing with her, and at some point the argument escalated and he lit Deborah on fire.

Deborah’s granddaughter, the 10-year-old Neveah G., was playing with her 2-year-old sister in her room when the incident occurred. Out of a sudden, she heard her grandmother screaming in the living room and she panicked.

She came out the room and witnessed the horror scene, and instead of remaining petrified, the love for her grandma surfaced and she rushed to save her life by pushing Roberto, enabling Deborah to run away.

Deborah ran outside to put out the fire as she was burning alive, but discovered that the water had been turned off. Luckily, there was a bucket of mop water nearby which she poured on her body and extinguished the fire.

After enabling her grandmother to escape from the hands of the monster, Neveah returned to the room to save her sister from the smoke, took her out in the yard and ran next door asking for help.

Authorities believe this was a planned attack and not just an escalation of an argument, since Roberto had turned off the water deliberately before he got into the house.

Deborah was taken into hospital, and doctors said she would need several surgeries because of her’ second degree burns on 35% of her body.

Roberto was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury and arson. His bond has been set at $500,000.

Neveah was hailed as hero after the whole incident and received a stack of $100 bills as a reward for her heroism from the Cash for Kindness Program of Fox San Antonio, and once again the strong bond with her grandmother surfaced, instantly saying she would use the money to help her grandma.

Alfred Duncan

Alfred Duncan is a freelance journalist and local reporter based in Coral Springs. As a beach lover, he only wants to be close by the ocean. Alfred reports for MDMH Coral Springs and writes columns for multiple national magazines.

Recent Posts

Chewy to Open 2nd Vet Care Clinic in South Florida at The Walk of Coral Springs

Coral Springs, Florida - With a new clinic in The Walk of Coral Springs, Chewy,…

19 hours ago

Affordable sports physical examinations provided by Carbon Health Urgent Care of Coral Springs

Coral Springs, Florida - Young athletes can now receive discounted sports physicals from Carbon Health…

2 days ago

Israeli soldier and former Coral Springs resident to discuss his military service at Chabad Jewish Center

Coral Springs, Florida - Zecharya Frisch was a Coral Springs resident before relocating to Israel,…

3 days ago

Coral Springs Charter softball wins Big-8 Championship

Coral Springs, Florida - Coral Springs Charter softball won the Big-Eight Championship to cap off…

4 days ago

Construction on Loxahatchee Road in Parkland Expected to Take Longer, Stretching into 2027

Parkland, Florida - Many local vehicles have been forced to avoid the region for months…

5 days ago

Coral Springs’s Sand Turtles coach combines his love of volleyball and marine art

Coral Springs, Florida - A seasoned volleyball coach approaches the game very differently from other…

6 days ago