Brazilian goalie suspected in murder of missing woman surrenders

[Tallman]

Brazilian goalie suspected in murder of missing woman surrenders
CNN

Bruno de Souza, Flamengo's goal keeper, turned himself in to police Wednesday for questioning related to the kidnapping and murder of a woman believed to have been the goalie's former lover, Rio de Janeiro police said.

Souza's friend, Luiz Henrique Romao, also surrendered. The two men were held at Polinter Police Station in the Andari neighborhood before being taken for questioning to the homicide division at the police station in Barra da Tijuca in the western part of Rio de Janeiro.

Their surrender came hours after a judge in Rio de Janeiro issued an order for their arrest.

Both are considered suspects in the disappearance and murder of Eliza Samudio, according to court documents. Samudio was last seen with Souza as they headed for his country home in the neighboring state of Minas Gerais in June. Her body has not been found, authorities said.

Samudio was traveling with her 4-month-old infant when she disappeared, officials said. She had said that Souza had threatened and beat her, according to the state prosecutor's office.

CNN has confirmed that a total of eight arrest orders were issued in Minas Gerais. Wednesday's surrenders bring the number of arrests to seven, including Dayane Souza, the goalie's wife.

Bruno Souza's 17-year-old cousin has allegedly confessed to taking part in the crime, Minas Gerais police chief Edson Moreira told reporters. But Moreira said the boy's confession is under question.

Flamengo soccer officials said they have suspended Souza until the allegations and legal issues are resolved.
His attorney, Michel Assef Filho, was not available for comment.

Flamengo -- Brazil's most popular soccer team -- has an estimated 32 million followers, the team website said. The team has served as a launching pad for the careers of several World Cup stars.

[Tallman]

Brazil's Bruno Fernandes jailed over ex-lover's murder
BBC

Brazilian football star Bruno Fernandes has been given a 22-year prison sentence for ordering the murder of a former girlfriend.

He was also found guilty of hiding the body of Eliza Samudio and kidnapping their baby son in 2010.

The ex-Flamengo goalkeeper admitted to knowing that Ms Samudio had been strangled and her remains fed to dogs, but denied ordering the killing.

He said two other defendants in the case carried out the murder.

The murder has attracted intense media interest in Brazil where it has been compared to the OJ Simpson trial in the US.

Fernandes, who was hugely popular with fans, had been tipped to play for Brazil in the 2014 Fifa World Cup finals.

Complex case

One of his friends, Luiz Henrique Ferreira Romao, and a former policeman, Marcos Aparecido dos Santos, were also charged with Ms Samuido's murder.

She was killed after demanding that Fernandes pay child maintenance for their baby son, prosecutors said.

According to police reports, she was then strangled, her body cut up and parts were fed to dogs. It has never been recovered.

Last November, Romao was jailed for 15 years after admitting his involvement in the crime but maintained that Fernandes had ordered its execution.

Mr Santos is accused of torturing and dismembering the woman. He is yet to be sentenced.

Ms Samudio was lured to a hotel in Rio de Janeiro in June 2010 on the pretext of obtaining a DNA test to prove the married footballer was the father of her baby.

She and her son were then abducted and taken to Fernandes' home in Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais state.

The baby was found a fortnight later in the home of friends of Fernandes's ex-wife, Dayanne Rodrigues.

Ms Rodrigues, who was also arrested in connection with the case, has been acquitted on charges of abduction involvement in the plot.

Fernandes was jailed for four-and-a-half years in December 2010 after being found guilty in a separate trial of abducting and assaulting Ms Samudio the previous year.