A woman was critically injured Friday after her boyfriend allegedly poured gasoline on her at a Clear Creek County campsite in the Arapahoe National Forest, set her on fire and began laughing while she screamed.
The boyfriend, John Anthony Vasquez, 32, of Arvada, faces a charge of second-degree attempted murder in Clear Creek County and a violation of a protective order in Jefferson County, said Bruce Brown, district attorney for the 5th Judicial District. Vasquez’s bail was set at $2 million at a hearing Monday.
Christina Archuleta-Blasier suffered third-degree burns over 60 percent of her body, mostly on her torso, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. She was flown by helicopter to University Hospital in Aurora in critical condition.
The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office was called Friday to a remote camping area outside Idaho Springs, where deputies found a severely burned woman near County Road 140 in the Barbour Fork area, Brown said.
Deputies found burned clothes, a seven-gallon container of gasoline, beer bottles and a bottle of Fireball whisky at the campsite. The gasoline container was only half full and was missing the pour spout. Authorities also found two lighters in Vaquez’ pockets including a blue one.
Vasquez later told investigators that he was trying to light the campfire to cook breakfast when he looked up and saw Archuleta-Blasier on fire. He said he told her to stop, drop and roll, but couldn’t recall anything after that. He denied he lit her on fire, the report says.
One of Archuleta-Blasier’s two boys, ages 7 and 10, had second-degree burns on one of his hands. The boys were released to social services and later into the custody of their father.
Vasquez and Archuleta-Blasier had been together for about two years, the report says.
In a later interview with Colorado Bureau of Investigation agents, the boys said they went with their mother and Vasquez to Barbour Fork on Thursday for an unplanned camping trip.
That night, Vasquez kicked her and she struck him in the face, splitting his lip, according to one of the boys, whose names were redacted from the report. They ended up all sleeping in Vaquez’s car. Vasquez made a fire, and they made s’mores.
When they awoke the next morning, the car battery was dead. One of the boys went looking for someone who could jump-start the car. The second boy went to the nearby stream.
The second boy allegedly saw Vasquez throw gasoline on his mother’s shoulder, light her up with a blue lighter and laugh as her clothes caught on fire. The incident happened about 30 feet from the fire pit.
She yelled, “I hate you, Johnny,” according to the report.
The second boy ran to get a jug of water. He was so upset he threw up while he was bringing the water back, according to the report. He then threw water from the jug on his mother as she was rolling on the ground, the report says.
The boy who had been looking for someone to jump-start Vaquez’s car ran back to the camp when he heard his mother screaming, the report says. His mother was on fire. He tried to put the fire out. Vasquez was kicking dirt on her.
When the fire was out, Archuleta-Blasier told one of her sons to call paramedics and police. He called even though one of his hands was blistered from attempting to extinguish the fire.
“We’re all having the victim in our thoughts and prayers,” Brown said. “It’s a tragic episode, and we will aggressively pursue criminal charges.”
Vasquez’s criminal record includes a 2015 conviction for criminal mischief related to domestic violence, according to CBI. That case was investigated by the Arvada Police Department.
