A Brazilian soccer player who caused controversy after signing a new, 2-year contract only a month after his release from jail for murdering his ex-girlfriend and feeding her body to his dogs, caused more controversy this week by claiming that the murder of his ex was just a simple “mistake.”
Brazilian goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes de Souza, known to fans simply as “Bruno,” announced his deal with second-tier soccer club Boa Esporte on March 13 only a month after he walked out of jail for the murder plot against his girlfriend and mother of his child.
The contract announcement sparked outrage across Brazil and caused the team to lose a growing list of sponsors. But, responding to criticism in the media, Bruno insisted that he is a “good guy” who doesn’t deserve the attacks he has received.
“Dude, what happened, happened,” the UK Guardian reported. “I made a mistake, a serious one, but mistakes happen in life. I’m not a bad guy. People tried to bury my dream because of one mistake, but I asked God for forgiveness, so I’m carrying on with my career, dude.”
De Souza, released from jail on appeal, initiated a plot to abduct, torture, and murder his ex-girlfriend, Eliza Samudio. Bruno confessed to his role in the 2010 murder of the 25-year-old former model.
The sensational trial revealed that Bruno ordered friends to kidnap his ex after she demanded money from him to raise the couple’s child. Samudio was tortured and strangled to death in a shed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Police said her body was then fed to Bruno’s dogs.
Bruno was sentenced to a 22-year jail term. A women’s rights group denounced the light sentence, saying, “A woman-killer must not be allowed a life acclaimed by the media. Bruno is no longer just a goalkeeper; his notoriety reflects the ease with which a woman’s life is forgotten in the interests of a sporting career.”
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