MANILA, Philippines – A woman stabbed dead her boyfriend of 12 years after he hit her – not for the first time – when they fought Thursday night.

Heidi Grutas, 26, surrendered to the Navotas City police immediately after stabbing Roy Guiller­mo with a 12-inch knife in her mother’s house in Barangay Tangos at past 7 p.m. Senior Police Officer 2 Louie Serrano, who heads the local police investigation unit, said Grutas only found out at the police station that she had killed Guillermo, a tricycle driver and father of her three children.

Guillermo, who suffered a stab wound in the chest, was declared dead on arrival at the Tondo Medical Center.

A nephew of Guillermo, who asked not to be named, said the fight started when his uncle, who was drunk, went to the house of Grutas’ mother and asked his girlfriend to buy him a bottle of beer. Grutas, who was preparing food for their family business, became angry and scolded Guillermo for prioritizing drinking over caring for their sick child.

Guillermo’s nephew said he heard Grutas shout at his uncle at around 7:30 p.m., but not so loud as to be considered scandalous.

Guillermo’s best friend and neighbor, Roniel Cagalingan, said he saw people shouting near Grutas’ house around 15 minutes after the couple started fighting. As he approached, he saw Grutas holding a bloody knife in her right hand.

“She seemed out of her mind and mumbling words I can’t understand. And then, she ran away,” Cagalingan said. He added that he went into Grutas’ shanty and saw Guillermo being carried out by another neighbor.

‘Not that painful’

At the police station, Grutas told investigators that Guillermo hit her in the face “although it was not that painful.” Investigators said the woman told them her boyfriend liked to hit her whenever he was drunk.

Guillermo lost his balance and fell on Grutas. The woman, scared he might hit her again, grabbed the knife, stabbed him, and fled, police said.

“They often fight, which is typical in squatters (area). They curse each other a lot but I never thought they could kill each other,” Cagalingan said.

The couple never lived together, despite being in a relationship for 12 years. Guillermo stayed in his mother’s house, which is beside the house of Grutas’ mother, according to Cagalingan.

“The only time they’re together is when they eat meals and make love,” he said.

Guillermo’s older sister, Imelda Aranda, 45, said they will file charges against Grutas, as requested by her mother. She worries, however, about the future of her brother’s three children and who will take care of them.