Seattle couple injured in Puerto Rico blowtorch attack
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A Puerto Rico man accused of attacking his family with gasoline and a blowtorch has been charged with murder after two of his alleged victims died from their wounds.
Forty-five-year-old Justino Sanchez Diaz had been arrested on attempted-murder charges for the New Year's Day attack. But the island Justice Department announced Monday that a 17-year-old niece and 32-year-old cousin of Sanchez have died from their burns. Seven others are injured.
Two Seattle residents, Kate Donahue and Jesus Sanchez, are among those injured. Sanchez is Diaz's nephew, according to family members, and the couple had recently gotten engaged.
Donahue's aunt, Patrice Moore, said she last heard from the victim New Year's Eve when she received a text message "telling me Happy New Year, and what a wonderful time she was having in Puerto Rico.
"That was the last thing I heard from her," she said.
The attack left the 25-year-old woman and her fiance sustained critical burns.
"We just can't believe...what a horrible thing to happen," said Moore.
Family members say Sanchez, a Boeing engineer, and Donahue, a Group Health nurse, are from Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.
Planning to get married at Kerry Park this summer, Donahue had gone to Puerto Rico to become acquainted with his relatives when a family member sprinkled gasoline and lit it up with a blowtorch during a gathering on the first day of the year, according to investigators.
"It's his (Jesus') uncle," Moore said. "From what I've heard, he did have some mental issues. I'm not sure what they were, but he'd never been aggressive before."
Family members have flown to Puerto Rico to lend support to Donahue and her fiance, who are fighting for their lives. Donahue, whose body is said to be wrapped, is lying, unconscious, as her family prays by her side.
"It's bizarre. We're stunned. It almost feels like an out-of-body experience. I can't comprehend that something this horrific could have happened to such beautiful people," Moore said.
Doctors say the couple's first 36 hours will be their toughest.
"We're praying and hoping for a miracle," said Moore.
Forty-five-year-old Justino Sanchez Diaz had been arrested on attempted-murder charges for the New Year's Day attack. But the island Justice Department announced Monday that a 17-year-old niece and 32-year-old cousin of Sanchez have died from their burns. Seven others are injured.
Two Seattle residents, Kate Donahue and Jesus Sanchez, are among those injured. Sanchez is Diaz's nephew, according to family members, and the couple had recently gotten engaged.
Donahue's aunt, Patrice Moore, said she last heard from the victim New Year's Eve when she received a text message "telling me Happy New Year, and what a wonderful time she was having in Puerto Rico.
"That was the last thing I heard from her," she said.
The attack left the 25-year-old woman and her fiance sustained critical burns.
"We just can't believe...what a horrible thing to happen," said Moore.
Family members say Sanchez, a Boeing engineer, and Donahue, a Group Health nurse, are from Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.
Planning to get married at Kerry Park this summer, Donahue had gone to Puerto Rico to become acquainted with his relatives when a family member sprinkled gasoline and lit it up with a blowtorch during a gathering on the first day of the year, according to investigators.
"It's his (Jesus') uncle," Moore said. "From what I've heard, he did have some mental issues. I'm not sure what they were, but he'd never been aggressive before."
Family members have flown to Puerto Rico to lend support to Donahue and her fiance, who are fighting for their lives. Donahue, whose body is said to be wrapped, is lying, unconscious, as her family prays by her side.
"It's bizarre. We're stunned. It almost feels like an out-of-body experience. I can't comprehend that something this horrific could have happened to such beautiful people," Moore said.
Doctors say the couple's first 36 hours will be their toughest.
"We're praying and hoping for a miracle," said Moore.
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