A contestant on the hit Netflix reality show Love Is Blind was arrested on multiple charges, including attempted murder, after his co-star wife accused him of domestic violence.
Santiago Martínez allegedly assaulted Emily Ceco during an argument in February, a week after celebrating her bachelorette party stemming from the show's Argentine spinoff.
Martinez was taken into custody on Friday at his parents' home in Ituzaingó, 22 miles west of Buenos Aires, and was also charged with unlawful deprivation of liberty and minor injuries.
A law enforcement source told Argentine newspaper La Nación that Martínez was aware of the accusations.
'The accused acknowledged that the night Ceco said she had suffered gender violence there was an argument and he spoke of "shake-ups,"' the official said.
The couple had been dating for a year and were married on the Love Is Blind Argentina before their separation was revealed on February 12 by Argentine-based Instagram account @realtimerating.
Ceco briefly shut down her Instagram account and removed all traces of her marriage to Martínez.
The next day she appeared on a morning show and revealed the bruises on her left eye and arm that she said were the results of Martínez's aggression.
Emily Ceco, who starred in the the Netflix reality show Love Is Blind, was allegedly beaten by her husband, Santiago Martínez, whom she married on the show
Santiago Martínez is facing charges of attempted murder for allegedly beating his wife, Emily Ceco
The couple had a civil marriage ceremony on Love Is Blind and were planning tying the knot a second time at a church.
As part of her February 7 bachelorette outing, she planned a night out with her mother, sisters, aunts and cousins that included attending a local theater to take in a play that Martínez did not approve of.
Ceco recalled being beaten by Martínez when she returned home and thinking that she would not survive.
'I told him 'please don't hit me' and he said 'you're a b**** and he punched me twice more,' told the hosts of the morning show.
'I stood up and wanted to leave the room, but he pinned me against the door and pushed me onto the bed... then he started to choke tbeme with my arms.'
At one point, Ceco struck Martínez in the genitals but was overpowered.
'He threw himself at me and started to choke me and covered my mouth so I wouldn't scream,' she said.
'I bit his hand so he would let me go and then he pushed my face against the bed and started hitting me on the head.'
The Argentine couple was married on Netflix's Love Is Blind
Emily Ceco said she was beaten by her husband after coming home from her bachelorette party on February 7
Santiago Martínez and Emily Ceco were set to celebrate their wedding at a church in Argentina. The couple had a civil marriage on Netflix's Love is Blind
Emily Ceco says the arrest of her husband, Santiago Martínez, has provided 'a little peace of mind and security when I go out on the street'
Ceco said she begged Martínez to stop as he covered her mouth and then chocked her.
Ceco, who revealed in a Love Is Blind episode that she was once involved an abusive relationship, said she was traumatized and had problems sleeping before authorities apprehended Martínez.
'The fear will continue to be there, but knowing that he is in custody gives me a little peace of mind and security when I go out on the street,' Ceco told Telefe television moments after learning of the arrest.
'I was really afraid because I didn't know what he could do. Seeing the news about girls who made complaints and unfortunately lost their lives at the hands of these aggressors, obviously it hurts you and you know that you could end up being one of them.
'That is why the fact that he is behind bars today gives me a little peace and tranquility.'
