A 23-year-old woman and mother of two, Stephanie Arzu, says she lost her baby after being badly beaten by her estranged partner, 29-year-old Miguel Martinez. According to Arzu, she was taking her oldest child to visit Martinez on Thursday, August 22, 2019, but he flew into a jealous rage and beat her badly. Arzu says that the ordeal did not begin with Martinez, but with his brother who pulled a machete at her when she attempted to take her 4-year-old son to visit his father in the Jane Usher Boulevard area of Belize City. She says that she left the area but was followed by Martinez until they got to a Chinese store where he allegedly punched her in the face and kicked her in her belly after she fell on the ground. She was almost two months pregnant from her now common-law boyfriend who has since expressed his anger after hearing of the ordeal.
Arzu says that while being pounded to a pulp by Martinez, she almost went unconscious but some persons in the area at the time called the police. She was in the hospital until Monday, August 26, 2019 when Martinez was arraigned before Magistrate Tricia Pitts-Anderson on a charge of common assault upon her. Martinez pleaded guilty but because he said he acted in self-defense and did not completely agree with the facts as read out to him, an equivocal plea of not guilty was entered. He was granted bail in the sum of $1,000 plus one surety of the same which he was able to meet. He is due back in court on September 2, 2019.
Arzu has filed a restraining order against Martinez.
