Florida man is sentenced to 40 years for burning his girlfriend to death but complaints to a judge, 'She pushed me to do something like that' Career criminal Jesus Alvarez, 49, pleaded guilty to murder in the March 2011 burning death of his girlfriend, 41-year-old Margarita Blanco During sentencing, Alvarez told a judge he 'didn't mean to' burn Blanco and accused the victim of pushing him to do it Alverez said he had been on drugs and caught Blanco cheating on him By Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com Published: 19:18 GMT, 19 March 2019 | Updated: 21:04 GMT, 19 March 2019 Viewcomments A Florida man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for burning his girlfriend to death after complaining to the judge that the victim drove him to set her on fire, and that he didn't mean to do it. Jesus Alvarez, 49, learned his fate on Monday after pleading guilty to murder as part of a deal with prosecutors. Authorities say Alvarez beat Margarita Blanco, 41, at a Miami-Dade County mobile home in March 2011 before dousing her with gasoline and burning her in front of the woman's mother. Career criminal: Jesus Alvarez, 49, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the March 2011 burning death of his girlfriend, 41-year-old Margarita Blanco Alverez said in court that he had been on drugs and caught Blanco cheating on him, reported Miami Herald. 'She pushed me to do something like that,' Alvarez, dressed in an orange prison garb, told the court. 'To tell you the truth, I didn’t mean to do this.' To which an incredulous Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzer replied: 'Mr. Alvarez, when you put gasoline on someone and you light a match, it’s generally not a good outcome.' The judge and the defendant continued bickering, with Venzer reminding him that he lit his girlfriend on fire, and with Alvarez reiterating that he 'didn't mean to do it like that.' Alvarez (pictured in an undated mugshot) tried to justify his actions by saying he was high on drugs and caught Blanco cheating on him A defense attorney added that Alvarez eventually tried to put the fire out, burning his own hands in the process. Alvarez then chimed in again, arguing that had it been his intention to torch Blanco to death, he would have left her to burn without trying to intervene. Judge Venzer was unimpressed with his explanation, pointing out that 'she did burn to death!' Venzer later remarked that during her 25 years on the bench she has never seen anyone show so little empathy. Alvarez as a career criminal whose record includes multiple arrests and convictions, reported Miami New Times. His late girlfriend also had an extensive criminal record, which included arrests on cocaine possession and robbery charges. She is survived by her mother and her grown son. Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility