Global Courant
In the midst of pain and memories, family, friends and acquaintances said goodbye to teacher Mariana de Jesús Barahona and her daughter on Monday. Alexandra Garciawho were shot to death over the weekend.
Early Sunday morning, Police reported that three bodies were found dead in a home located in the El Centro neighborhood, El Negrito, Yoro.
The preliminary hypothesis suggested that Melvin Zaldívar, Mariana’s romantic partner for 10 years, had taken the lives of her and her daughter after a strong argument motivated by jealousy, and then committed suicide.
However, relatives assure that it was a premeditated crime. In interview with THE PRESSthe former footballer Wilfredo Barahonabrother and uncle of the victims, revealed that at around 12:00 midnight, Zaldívar called one of his older sisters to confess that he had murdered Mariana and Alexandra.
The man also asked him to go to his house to pick up the five-year-old child that the couple had fathered, and indicated that he was leaving L6,000 for funeral expenses.
The athlete said that when his family arrived at the scene, they found the minor, who witnessed the atrocious crime, trembling.
Barahona said that after the tragedy it came to light that two months ago Zaldívar bought a weapon with which he threatened his sister.
She added that she was a victim of psychological abuse by her partner as a result of her “obsessive jealousy,” which is why her family advised her to separate, but they never imagined that it would end her life.
Threats
This statement was ratified by Jacobo Barahona, Mariana’s father, who assured that his daughter was not happy. “Her misfortune was being popular, unfortunately the man became jealous and even watched her,” he said. “When she told me what was happening, I called him and told him to leave it alone, that she wasn’t going to hurt me. When I asked him why she wanted to kill me, he said it was because she wanted to leave him, but I never imagined this tragedy,” she added.
Entrepreneur
In addition to teaching, Mariana had a business in El Negrito, Yoro, since she was characterized by her entrepreneurial spirit.
With nostalgia, Don Jacobo related that the youngest of his ten children showed interest in teaching since she was little, so he supported her to study at the normal school of Comayagua.
In 2005, Mariana de Jesús was hired to teach classes at the community of El Aguacatein the Guaymas sector, where he was in charge of three grades.
The teacher’s classmates, parents, and students described her as a dedicated and responsible woman, who got up at 4:00 am to travel to her community to teach classes.
For her part, Alexandra García (16 years old) was in her second year of Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Finance at a local high school, where he stood out for his academic excellence. The forensic report revealed that the young woman struggled with her stepfather to take the gun from him and fight for her life, but he fired seven shots at her.
Both were held in different places, since Alexandra’s body was taken to Yoro, where her father lives and where she wanted his remains to rest, according to relatives. However, both families coordinated so that the mass and funeral would take place at the same time.
The deaths of Alexandra and her mother have shocked the country, where a woman is killed every 20 hours and where more than 290 violent deaths of women have been recorded in 2023 alone.
Mariana de Jesús Barahona.
