A woman from Guatemala has been proclaimed innocent after she murdered her husband to protect their son.

Maria del Carmen Chay, 20, was freed after the court determined that she killed her husband Francisco Ventura in self-defence.

The woman who sold corn for a living in the city of Guatemala reportedly confronted the man after he attacked their newborn baby on Wednesday, 12th October.

Media stated that on the day of the incident, Ventura poured the boiling hot atole – a traditional beverage made of corn and masa – all over their newborn baby.

He reportedly did so in order to hurt his wife, in just another one of his abusive episodes.

Petrified by his intentions, the 20-year-old woman then grabbed a kitchen knife and fatally stabbed Francisco in the chest and neck.

He died at the scene while Maria’s daughters witnessed the whole incident.

Paramedics who responded to a call took the baby to a local clinic where he was hospitalised for 13 days due to the severity of his burns.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old mother was arrested and charged with murder by the public prosecutor.

During the trial, her defence attorneys argued that Maria had “confronted the aggressor to save her life, that of her daughters and her son”.

They claimed she was “the only one who worked to support the home and feed her children” while her husband “took the money and bought alcoholic beverages”.

Maria testified that she was physically, sexually and psychologically abused by her husband for the past five years.

In the end, the presiding judges justified her actions by ruling self-defence, after which she was set free as reported on Thursday, 27th October.

The boy is currently stable and recovering at home, according to local media.