Photo: LATINO BLOTTER: Brazilian Soccer Star Allegedly had Mistress Tortured and Killed
Known simply as Bruno, the Brazilian goalkeeper is accused of killing the mother of his love child in order to protect his reputation.
Bruno Fernandes de Souza, 27, allegedly tortured and killed model Eliza Samudio, 25, in June of 2010 with the help of eight others, including his wife. De Souza is already serving a 4 1/2–year prison sentence for assaulting Samudio.
Upon learning Samudio was pregnant after the two had sex at a teammate’s party, de Souza was reportedly enraged. Investigators say he and the group of eight kidnapped Samudio from her Rio de Janeiro hotel around four months after she gave birth to the child.
According to de Souza’s cousin, the group, which also included his friend Luiz Henrique Ferreira Romao, took her up to a property in Belo Horizonte owned by de Souza and his wife. There, the footballer allegedly watched as Romao tortured Samudio and ultimately killed her. Parts of her body were allegedly fed to de Souza’s dogs after the footballer allegedly helped Santos dismember her body, while the rest was buried in concrete.
De Souza, however, maintains his innocence and says he has a “clear conscience”.
As for the child, in the upcoming trial, prosecutors will claim de Souza planned Samudio’s murder after she told him she was taking legal action to prove the baby was his. After Samudio’s murder, the goalkeeper was going to have his wife say they adopted the child from a poor relative. Police found the child in the care of a family member of de Souza’s wife.
De Souza’s contract with Rio de Janeiro’s Flamengo club is currently suspended, though club president Patricia Amorim has stated that even if acquitted, de Souza will not be playing for Flamengo.
He now faces charges of corrupting minors, forming a criminal gang with intent to murder, hiding a body, kidnapping, and murder.
The other members of the group involved have been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and kidnapping.
Various news sources have claimed de Souza has tried to commit suicide twice while awaiting trial.
