Murder of Eliza Samudio

Eliza Silva Samudio was born on February 22, 1985, in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. She moved to São Paulo at eighteen to pursue modeling, initially supporting herself through sex work before appearing in fashion shows, editorials, and, according to her lawyer, pornographic films between 2005 and 2009 under the name Fernanda Farias.

Samudio met goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza, known as Bruno, around 2008–2009. The two had a relationship that ended in August 2009 after Samudio told Bruno she was pregnant and refused to have an abortion. In October 2009, Samudio filed a police complaint alleging she had been held against her will by Bruno and two associates, known as "Russo" and "Macarrão," and forced to take abortive substances; she also alleged assault, including that Bruno pointed a gun at her head. A request for protective measures under the Maria da Penha Law was denied by a judge who ruled that Samudio and Bruno did not have a qualifying intimate relationship. Forensic testing related to the alleged abortive substances was not completed until July 2010, after Samudio's disappearance was already being investigated as a homicide.

Samudio gave birth to a son on February 10, 2010, in São Paulo. Bruno initially refused to acknowledge paternity. Samudio subsequently filed a paternity claim and sought child support.

According to police investigation, Samudio traveled to Bruno's farm in Esmeraldas, Minas Gerais, on June 4, 2010, reportedly believing a settlement negotiation would take place. She disappeared during that visit; investigators estimated her death occurred on June 10, 2010. Bruno claimed she left the farm voluntarily and abandoned her child, who was later found in a favela in Ribeirão das Neves. On June 26, 2010, Minas Gerais Civil Police named Bruno a suspect. On July 6, 2010, a 17-year-old relative of Bruno's told police he had struck Samudio, after which she was allegedly taken to Minas Gerais, dismembered, and her remains disposed of, including partial entombment in concrete; police stated this account was not confirmed. A former police officer, referred to in reporting as "Neném," "Paulista," or "Bola," was arrested on July 8, 2010, in connection with the case. Courts in both Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais issued preventive detention orders for Bruno and several other individuals in July 2010.

Trial proceedings began in Contagem, Minas Gerais, on November 19, 2012, before a popular jury. Multiple defendants and their attorneys were involved, and the trial proceeded with several procedural disputes. One co-defendant, known as Macarrão, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for kidnapping and murder. On March 8, 2013, Bruno was sentenced to 22 years in prison for assault, torture, and murder. Bruno was ultimately released after serving ten years of a sentence described as fifteen years.

A separate family court ruling required Flamengo, Bruno's football club, to pay child support from his earnings; the club contested this, citing suspension of his contract, and appealed the decision.