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Pictured: British yacht salesman, 43, gunned down in front of his son, eight, by wife who claimed she was just trying to ‘frighten him’ after weeks of arguing in Costa Rica
- Yacht salesman Christopher Benjamin Martin died from a single bullet wound
- He was shot after arguing with his Nicaraguan wife Maria Ixel Amador, 36
- Police said Amador told them she only fired the gun to frighten her husband
- Locals reports said the couple had been drinking all day at their apartment in Alajuela, north west of the Costa Rican capital of San Jose
- One media outlet claimed couple had been arguing increasingly in recent weeks
- It said that last month, Amador had also stabbed him during a violent scuffle
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This is the first picture of a British man gunned down in front of his eight year old son by his wife in Costa Rica after she claims she tried to ‘frighten him’.
Yacht salesman Christopher Benjamin Martin, 43, died from a single bullet wound after getting into an argument with his Nicaraguan wife who has been named as Maria Ixel Amador, 36.
Locals reports said the couple had been drinking all day at their apartment in Alajuela, north west of the Costa Rican capital of San Jose, when the incident happened last Sunday while son Marlin, eight was nearby.
Yacht salesman Christopher Benjamin Martin (left), 43, died from a single bullet wound after getting into an argument with his Nicaraguan wife who has been named as Maria Ixel Amador (right), 36. Reports said he was shot in front of his son, Marlin, who is eight years old
Locals reports said the couple had been drinking all day at their apartment in Alajuela, north west of the Costa Rican capital of San Jose, when the incident happened last Sunday while son Marlin, eight was nearby. Pictured: Maria Ixel Amador
One media outlet claimed the couple had been arguing increasingly in recent weeks and that last month Amador had also stabbed him during one violent scuffle.
A police spokesman told local media: ’The woman says she shot him only to frighten him, wounded him in the right shoulder and he died at the scene.’
Paramedic Mario Zuniga said: ‘On our arrival we confirmed that the man had a gunshot wound to the chest and no vital signs, that was when we called the police.’
Pictures on a Facebook page called Marlin and Chris showed him and his son enjoying his 42nd birthday party and his little boy’s graduation from school.
Mr Martin and his wife had met ten years ago and had moved to their apartment in Alajuela in May from nearby Herradura and he worked there for a Landon Marina selling yachts.
Colleague Derek Boccara wrote a tribute on Facebook and said: ‘Sad. I really liked Chris Fun and genuine. A big lost. Crazy life. This is f***d up. How can you do that. In front of his kid. Really ? I have a hard time with this. He was a friend. We are all shocked. In peace may he rest now. Poor guy.’
One media outlet claimed the couple (pictured together with Martin’s son) had been arguing increasingly in recent weeks and that last month Amador had also stabbed him during one violent scuffle
Pictures on a Facebook page called Marlin and Chris showed him and his son (pictured together left and right) enjoying his 42nd birthday party and his little boy’s graduation from school
Pictures published by Costa Rican media showed a body covered in a white sheet with a blood seeping through being loaded onto the back of a pick up truck.
A relative of Mr Martin, Toni Michelle Lee, wrote on social media:’ Please say a prayer for my oldest son Gavin and his dad’s side of the family. Gavin’s uncle Chris was taken from us on Sunday.
‘Please send love and prayers to the family to guide them thru this tough time. Please keep his mother in your heart as she heads to Costa Rica to lay her son to rest.’
Today no one was immediately available for comment from the OIJ – the Office for the Judicial Investigator in San Jose.