Ariz. acid victim speaks out, doesn't place blame

MIDDLEBORO, Mass. -- Derri Dias Velarde doesn’t blame Bethany Storrow for what happened, but she does feel pity.

A woman, who had been hiding, jumped out and threw acid on Velarde’s face outside of her home in Mesa, Ariz. On Sept. 2.

Police called the crime a copy-cat to one that had happened in Vancouver, Wash.

Storrow claimed a stranger came up to her and threw acid in her face. But, it turns out Storrow’s attack was made up and her wounds were actually self-inflicted.

Velarde suffered second-degree burns on her face, neck and chest. Some of Velarde’s friends and family said that Velarde should be angry at Storrow, but she’s not looking to place blame.

“It’s upsetting, you know. I don’t blame her,” said Velarde. “A lot of people are like, ‘it wouldn’t have happened to you if she didn’t do that to herself. I kind of feel like whoever was behind hurting me something was going to happen, so I don’t know if that affected the person’s choice on how they were going to hurt me, but I don’t blame [Storrow]. I feel sorry for her.”

Velarde has been in Massachusetts with her family for almost a week. She said she feels much more comfortable and safe in Middleboro. Velarde does hope Storrow will get some help.

Police have not made any arrests on Velarde’s attacker, but they do have some leads.

(Copyright (c) 2010 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)