Francisco Godoy and his former stepdaughter, Shadia Magana, died days after suffering from severe burns caused by a fire allegedly lit by Godoy.

By Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Oct. 22, 2025

   Shadia Magana, 17, who had been hospitalized after suffering severe burns in a blaze that killed her mother and her 6-year-old brother, died this week, and so did the abusive ex-common-law husband of her mother, who reportedly set the fire but suffered burns which days later took his own life as well. It was reportedly jealousy and a psychotic sense of possessiveness that led her former stepfather, Francisco Godoy, who had been recently released from prison after serving time for domestic assault, to enter the home of the girl’s mother, who had been living with a new partner, in the pre-dawn hours of Monday, October 20, and setting her and the house on fire.

   Godoy managed to enter the home of his former common-law-wife, 35-year-old Angelita Magana, in San Felipe Village, Orange Walk District, while she was sleeping with her children, 6-year-old Tishaun Godoy and Shadia Magana.

   In another room, her common-law husband, Miguel Novelo, heard a sound coming from Magana’s room, and when he went to investigate the sound, he saw Godoy, who was in flames, running out of the room. Moments later, both Shadia and Angelita exited the room also engulfed in flames, and Angelita ran into the bathroom. Novelo then attempted to re-enter the burning room to rescue Tishaun; however, he was not able to do so due to the intense flames.

   Novelo and Shadia were able to escape from the burning building with the help of a nearby relative who was sleeping in a pickup truck. Unfortunately, the charred remains of Angelita and Tishaun were later found under the remains of their home, which was burnt to the ground.

   All surviving persons – Shadia Magana, Miguel Novelo and Francisco Godoy – were taken to the Northern Regional Hospital in Orange Walk Town to be treated for varying degrees of burn injuries. Magana and Godoy were listed as being in critical condition and were transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital; meanwhile, Novelo was treated and released from the hospital.

   Medical staff tried to keep both Magana and Godoy alive after the incident, despite their bodies being 90% burned, but both passed away on Wednesday morning, October 22.

   Godoy and Angelita Magana had been in a relationship which became violent, resulting in him serving time behind bars. He was released earlier this month on October 7, and Angelita had attempted to place a restraining order against him on the Friday before her untimely death, but the court had already closed for the day and weekend.    All reports indicate that Godoy doused the sleeping family with gasoline and then set them ablaze, accidentally also setting himself on fire in the process.