André Chapeta, a 50-year-old man, passed away on Friday after being set on fire by his wife, Ana María Paixaõ, at the fish market she owns in Rio de Janeiro.
The event unfolded on Monday when Paixaõ, reportedly in a jealous rage, targeted Chapeta as he sat at a table inside the store.
Surveillance footage captured Paixaõ opening a bottle, pouring a flammable liquid over her husband, and igniting him with a flicked lighter.
Chapeta, engulfed in flames, raced into the fish market’s stockroom. He sustained severe burn injuries, covering 92 percent of his body.
Despite immediate medical attention at Getúlio Vargas Hospital, Chapeta succumbed to his injuries on Friday.
Paixaõ was taken into police custody on Thursday but was released the same night after a judge failed to approve an arrest warrant.
Civil Police chief Flávio Ferreira suggested that the incident stemmed from jealousy within the couple’s 30-year relationship, marked by periods of domestic violence.
Ferreira dismissed Paixaõ’s claim that she acted in self-defense after being beaten by Chapeta.
He emphasized, “The image shows the victim sitting in a chair. She arrives, coldly, throws the liquid, and sets him on fire. She was not in a situation in which she would be imminently attacked.”
