Jesua Tatad, 39, is said to have scalded her ex-husband as he slept and then beat him with a baseball bat.
Even though they were divorced, Jesua Tatad shared the same home with the victim, who suffered 60% burns.
Prosecutors said Jesua Tatad waited until her former spouse was asleep before pouring a full pan of boiling water over his body.
As the man leapt up in pain she was waiting with a baseball bat and allegedly clubbed him in the head.
Police said the man was able to escape and flagged down a passing security guard outside his home in Daly City, California.
An ambulance rushed him to San Francisco General Hospital where he was admitted in critical condition.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the victim is unable to speak due to his injuries.
He said the woman had waited until her ex, who has not been named, returned home to the flat they shared from a night shift.
The victim is in “pretty bad shape” but will survive, Steve Wagstaffe said, adding “he’s in for a long, long recovery”.
“It wasn’t like she was cooking breakfast,” Steve Wagstaffe added.
“He boiled up that pot of water to pour on him.”
Jesua Tatad was arrested and charged with several felonies, including assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated mayhem and torture.
Jesua Tatad is being held on $600,000 bail.
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