Sunday 10 March 2013

By Tyler Conway

_sev4136_crop_exact Photo via The Mirror

Brazilian goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes de Souza has been convicted for ordering the murder of ex-girlfriend Eliza Samudio in 2010 and sentenced to 22 years imprisonment, according to a report from the BBC.
He was also found guilty of hiding Samundio's body and kidnapping the couple's son, per the BBC report. Though convicted, Fernandes has maintained that he knew of the killing but had no other involvement: "The ex-Flamengo goalkeeper admitted to knowing that Ms Samudio had been strangled and her remains fed to dogs, but denied ordering the killing."
Fernandes was charged with ordering the murder of Samundio, 25, after she had requested child support from the Brazilian soccer star. He had contracted friend Luiz Henrique Ferreira Romao and former policeman Marcos Aparecido dos Santos to commit the crime, both of whom were also charged with murder.
Romao and Santos were reportedly the ones who carried out the crime, which became a national story due to its gruesome nature. According to the police report, Samundio was murdered via strangulation before having her body parts dismembered and fed to dogs, per a report from The Guardian.
Romao later admitted to being involved with the crime and pointed to Fernandes as the orchestrator.
One of the world's up-and-coming goalkeepers in 2010, Fernandes was most famous for his time with Flamengo. A fan favorite for his charismatic style, the young keeper was expected to play for Brazil's national team during the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
When charged with the murder in 2010, Flamengo suspended Fernandes’ contract until its termination last year. The case then took on a life of its own, as it captivated the Brazilian media and soccer fans everywhere.
Two years later, with Fernandes convicted, it seems all sides will finally be able to move on from one of the ugliest incidents in world football history.
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