Woman warns those in abusive relationships after being beaten, soaked in gas: 'Don't go back'

Tom Abrahams Image
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Galveston woman beaten, soaked in gasoline by husband
Felicity Varner said she didn't recognize the man her husband had become, and now she's warning others with abusive partners not to reconcile with them.

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Galveston woman is warning others to get out if they're in an abusive relationship. She spoke with ABC13 after police said her husband violated a protective order, beat her, and poured gasoline on her.

Gino Weedman-Sosa was booked into Galveston County Jail and charged with continuous family violence.

His wife, Felicity Varney, told Eyewitness News she wants him to rot behind bars.

Varney pointed out the bruises on her body, which she said are evidence of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her 29-year-old husband, Weedman-Sosa.

"This one is from where he grabbed me and pulled me over onto the bed," she said, showing a wide, yellowing, purple mark on her left arm.

RELATED: Houston-area domestic violence homicides doubled in 3 years, UH study finds

It was not the first time Weedman-Sosa was accused of abusing her.

Sosa was charged in December 2022 with choking Varney. When he was released on probation in February, the court told him not to contact her. She said he did it immediately through Facebook, and she felt bad for him and let him back into her life.

"He had nowhere else to go," she said. "He got me kicked out of my place, and I needed help with my son."

SEE ALSO: Only on 13: Records reveal victim reported husband's abuse before his brother allegedly stabbed her

The abuse, she said, began a short time later.

On March 18, at a hotel on Varney's birthday, the two argued after leaving a bar together. From there, Weedman-Sosa poured gasoline on her and soaked everything she owned.

"He hit me and hit and, somehow, got off my clothes," Varney said. "I can't remember. He poured gasoline all over my face, all the way down, and everything burned. My eyes burned. I couldn't open my eyes."

Now she has a warning for other women tempted to reunite with an abuser.

RELATED: 'Their lives matter': Advocate answers 3 questions about abuse in domestic relationships

"Don't go back," she said. "Don't go back because they're not going to stop. They're going to keep going and keep doing this. If you keep feeding into it and letting it happen, it will never end. You're going to end up six feet under."

Weedman-Sosa was granted a $25,000 bond but is still being held in jail for allegedly violating the conditions of his release from the previous abuse case.

For updates on this story, follow Tom Abrahams on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.