Brazilian soccer club signs deal with a goalkeeper serving the remainder of a 22-year sentence for ordering the 2010 assassination of his ex-girlfriend under house arrest
- Bruno Fernandes was convicted by a Brazilian court in 2013 for the 2010 murder of Eliza Samúdio
- Fernandes was found guilty of assassinating, kidnapping and concealing the body of the 25-year-old woman , who is he mother of his son
- Samúdio’s body was never found because investigators said it was dismembered and fed to dogs
- Fernandes was released from prison in July and will serve the remainder of his 22-year sentence under house arrest
- The 34-year-old, who once played for Brazilian side Flamengo, was signed to a contract by Poços de Caldas, a third division team in Brazil
- The club and Fernandes are waiting on a judge to approve a work program that would allow him to leave his home for games
A third division football club in Brazil has signed a convicted killer to a contract nine years after he drew up a plot to have his ex-girlfriend killed.
Bruno Fernandes, who turned into a star goalkeeper in the Brazilian league and almost ended up playing for Barcelona in La Liga, was released from prison last month and placed under house arrest after serving almost half of a 22-year sentence for the killing of model, Eliza Samúdio, in 2010.
Prosecutors said she was demanding Fernandes pay for child support. Investigators said her body was never found because it was dismembered and fed to dogs.
Fernandes, who convicted in March 2013, was also charged with kidnapping his son Bruninho.
Bruno Fernandes signed a contract with Brazilian third division club Poços de Caldas a month after he was released from prison and placed under house arrest to serve the rest of a 22-year-sentence he was given in 2013 for the killing of his ex-girlfriend
Eliza Samúdio demanded that her ex-boyfriend, Brazilian footballer Bruno Fernandes, pay child support before Fernandes had her killed in 2010
Fernandes was released from prison July 19 and signed a deal with Poços de Caldas, a third division team in Brazil that will compete for the Campeonato Mineiro 2020 tournament
The 34-year-old was released on a technicality in February 2017, and played some matches for Boa Sporte, another lower division club. But Brazil’s top court ordered him back to jail weeks later.
Fernandes, who left prison July 19, is currently confined to his home in Varginha, a municipality in the southwestern state of Minas Gerais.
According to Brazilian news outlet Globo Esporte, Fernandes will be joining Poços de Caldas, a third division team in Brazil that will compete for the Campeonato Mineiro 2020 tournament.
Terms of his prison release indicated that the goalkeeper was required to find employment within 30 days of being placed under house arrest.
It would be up to a court judge to approve Fernandes a special permit to travel to the city of Poços de Caldas to start training.
His lawyer, Mariana Migliorini, said she expects the judge to finalize Fernandes’ work authorization this weekend.
The 34-year-old footballer agreed to a deal in 2017 after he was released on a technicality in February 2017, and played some matches for Boa Sporte. But Brazil’s top court ordered him back to prison
Investigators said Eliza Samúdio’s body was never found because it was dismembered and fed to dogs. She is pictured in August 2009 while pregnant
A pregnant Eliza Samúdio would appear at a police station in Rio de Janeiro in August 2009 with documents revealing she was carrying the child of Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes’ signing has been met with both cheers and jeers from fans and opponents alike.
His 2017 deal with Boa Sporte led three sponsors to discontinue their relationships with the club.
One person slammed Poços de Caldas’ decision to bring Fernandes aboard on the club’s Facebook account.
‘If Brazil were a serious country this killer would have to serve his sentence in jail until the last day,’ the social media user wrote.
Another person also criticized the second opportunity Fernandes was given almost a decade after he was found guilty.
‘Congratulations for the initiative! Enjoy that you like to give people second chances and give Elisa Samúdio another chance too! Oh yeah, no trace of her body was left behind, right? Complicated like that, right?’
However, a supporter welcomed the team’s line of thinking from afar: ‘All human beings deserve a second chance so that he can turn his life around.’
Bruno Fernandes’ signing with Poços de Caldas has been met with both cheers and jeers from fans and opponents alike