Woman Charged With Attempted Murder Lashes Out In Court
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A woman arrested over the weekend after she reportedly went after her husband with a knife became very emotional during her appearance in bond court.
Monday morning Blanca Regalado appeared before Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Jorge Rodriguez-Chomat in a wheelchair.
Judge Rodriguez-Chomat told Regalado, 53, that she was being charged with attempted felony murder and then asked if she had the money to hire a private attorney.
Regalado replied she did.
When the judge informed her she was going to be held without bond, Regalado lashed out, shrieking and screaming at the judge that her husband had broken her leg.
Miami police confirmed that Regalado did, in fact, have an injured leg and that it was set in a cast after they took her into custody. Police say Regalado though was not cooperative with them, and refused to discuss how her leg was injured, not accusing her husband until she appeared in court.
Experts in domestic violence say it is not unusual for those in such relationships to want to avoid getting their partner in trouble with the law.
On Saturday, police were called to an apartment building at 1800 N Bayshore Drive to look into reports of a domestic dispute. When they arrived, Regalado told them "I did it. My husband is a drunk and I'm tired of him and I stabbed him," according to her arrest complaint.
Regalado reportedly told the officers that her husband, 56-year old Francisco Javier Martinez, sometimes gets aggressive but this time she had grabbed a knife and was ready.
Martinez was taken to the hospital with six stab wounds in the upper abdomen, a punctured liver along with stab wounds in the right arm and right leg, according to the arrest complaint.
When police informed her that her husband was injured she allegedly said, "No, I want him dead."
"It's a cycle," said Lauren Sonnenberg a therapist with Acceptance Counseling Services. Abusive relationships usually see fights, followed by reconciliation, followed by more fights, and sometimes attempted murder or worse, Sonnenberg said.
"If it has gone on for that great deal of time, then a person, if they don't know of another way to exit, then they can do that. It's not surprising," she said.
Miami police said they have been to the Regalado/Martinez apartment at least four times for disturbances over the last year.
Advocates for victims of domestic abuse sometimes criticize police for not moving more aggressively earlier on, before violent relationships escalate.
Miami police could not provide specifics on their previous visits to the apartment, saying no reports were written.
Martinez was treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital and released.
Judge Rodriguez-Chomat reset Regalado's case for Tuesday to consider all the facts during a probable cause hearing.
Anyone seeking help with fixing or getting out of an abusive relationship can get free help by calling the Florida Domestic Abuse hotline at (800) 500-1119.
