A Texas woman on trial for allegedly stabbing her nephew to death was having an affair with the man and claims the incident was an act of self defense.

WDSU-TV reports that the murder trial of Andira Abdelaziz, 37, started Thursday in San Antonio.

She is facing a murder charge in connection to the August 2016 death of her 25-year-old nephew by marriage, Mohammed Abdelaziz, who was stabbed in the back at the woman’s home.

Andira Abdelaziz’s defense lawyer, Mike McCrum, said his client was only trying to defend herself against an abusive and violent man.

“He sent hundreds of texts to her, calling her the most vile names, describing what he’s going to do to her once he sees her,” McCrum told jurors. “She wanted it to stop.”

Police had responded to the woman’s home on the day of the incident for what was purportedly a burglary, but when officers got to the house, Andira said the report was a mistake and the officers went away.

A short time later, Andira stabbed Mohammed in the back using a kitchen knife.

He fled to his car in an attempt to escape, but he ended up crashing the vehicle into the home.

As a neighbor tried to resuscitate Mohammed, Andira reportedly was saying “he beat me, he beat me,” according to police reports.

Clayton Haden, the prosecutor in the case, acknowledged that Mohammed had caused Andira to have a black eye and bruises on her body, and that he had sent her threatening communications, but Haden said none of that happened on the day of the stabbing.

“He sent nasty, threatening texts, suggesting he was going to reveal the romantic relationship to family,” Haden said during opening statements. “The defendant gave a statement. Not once in that statement does she mention that the victim touched her that day.”

McCrum, the defense lawyer, said Mohammed was a large and abusive person who bullied people, including Andira. Mohammed allegedly ordered her to sleep on the couch so she wouldn’t sleep with her husband, and he is accused of threatening to put her in a coma.

According to the television station, Andira had married her husband – Mohammed’s uncle – when she was only 14 in an arranged marriage.

Andira faces life in prison.