Wazim Perreira, who was charged with attempted murder after allegedly setting his former partner on fire, yesterday faced a murder charge after she recently succumbed to her injuries.
Perreira, 25, of Sophia, was charged last month with attempted murder at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The charge had stated that on September 9th, at Sophia, with intent to commit murder, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Olivia DeFreitas.
According to police, on the day in question around 1 pm, Perreira requested to talk to the woman at her Sophia home but she refused. He left the premises but it was alleged that later, he returned with a container containing gasoline. It was further alleged that he threw the gasoline on the woman after which he set her on fire. Perreira then tried escaping but the woman’s screams alerted the neighbours, who apprehended him. The matter was reported and Perreira was arrested.
Perreira, who was charged last month, was brought before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday and the Police Prosecutor, Neville Jeffers, asked that the attempted murder charge be withdrawn and a murder charge be instituted instead after it was reported that the woman died. The new charge states that on October 10th, at Sophia, Perreira murdered DeFreitas.
DeFreitas succumbed to her injuries on October 10th while at the George-town Public Hospital Cor-poration. She had been admitted to the hospital in critical condition after she had sustained second degree burns about her body, including to her face, abdomen, chest and back as a result of the attack that occurred around 1 pm on September 9th, 2019, at her home in Sophia.
