Records: Fight over Facebook led to fatal stabbing

Court records show the physical altercation between Santiago Betancourt and his wife Elizabeth involved a dispute over Facebook.

Santiago Betancourt, 35, died Saturday at Plains Regional Medical Center from stab wounds, officials said. His wife was arrested Tuesday on an open count of murder and is being held at the Curry County Detention Center without bail.

Elizabeth Betancourt, 36, of Clovis, is being held at the Curry County jail without bail on an open count of murder. Police say she fatally stabbed her husband Saturday at the couple's residence.

The report does not address the reason she did not want him on Facebook.

Elizabeth Betancourt said the dispute at a residence the couple shared at 316 Aspen St. became physical when she called her husband a name and he began choking her and throwing her around.

The report shows she told officials her husband "did not hurt me," and that she had instigated the argument.

She stated it is normal behavior for the two to "throw down" together and fight and stated the two were having "a hard time," records show.

The Betancourt's 16-year-old daughter, Samone, who was in the residence at the time of the altercation, stated she "was sick" of her parents fighting and left the house for a few moments. When she returned, her father was on the floor in the living room bleeding, she told police.

Samone said her mother told her, "He stabbed himself. He did it to himself."

Elizabeth Betancourt told officials the two were wrestling around in the floor and the knife that Santiago Betancourt carries on his waistband was poking her, so she pulled it out of the sheath.

In a contradictory statement, she later told officials she saw him holding the knife and tried to get it away from him, the affidavit reports.

An autopsy revealed that Santiago Betancourt had a stab wound in the upper left arm that penetrated the chest wall without striking any vital organs. A second stab wound to the upper left chest was fatal. The autopsy report listed the cause of death as homicide and noted the wounds were not self inflicted.

According to the affidavit, Elizabeth Betancourt told officials when she saw her husband bleeding, she put the knife on top of a stereo and went outside. She stopped a passing vehicle and asked the occupants for a ride to the hospital, she told police.

An unknown female, who appears to be a relative, made the 911 call, the affidavit shows.