Cops have arrested a young man who allegedly fatally stabbed his boyfriend 30 years his senior before writing ‘I love you’ on the bedroom wall.
Luis Felipe Messias Costa, 29, admitted during questioning to having fatally stabbed Onirio Carlos Silvestre, 59, in the city of Curitiba in the Brazilian state of Parana on 15th December.
He also confessed to writing ‘I love you’ on the bedroom wall immediately after the crime and to selling the victim’s car for BRL 600 (GBP 79) after having fled the crime scene in it.
The vehicle was found charred in the nearby city of Ponta Grossa on Wednesday night (22nd December). It underwent a forensic inspection yesterday (23rd December).
The man who purchased the vehicle has been identified, and it is unclear why it was later set on fire.
The suspect had already handed himself in to the police in Ponta Grossa on Wednesday afternoon.
He was indicted by the Civil Police (Brazil’s investigative police force) yesterday, and the prosecutor’s office has four days from today to lodge a complaint.
He is liable for aggravated murder and theft, as he not only stole the victim’s car but also his mobile phone, personal documents and bank cards.
According to police chief Tathiana Guzella, although he admitted to killing the Portuguese teacher and stealing his belongings, there were still contradictions in his version of events.
He reportedly told the questioning officers he acted in self-defence when he killed his boyfriend. He claimed the schoolteacher had been wielding the knife and he grabbed it off him.
The police have already ruled out this version of events.
Guzella was quoted in local media as saying: “Because of the characteristics of the crime scene, the position of the body, and the victim’s peaceful nature, we do not believe his version.”
The police chief also revealed that the suspect expressed remorse over his actions.
According to the investigation, the victim was inebriated when the crime took place. His body was found in his apartment with a knife stuck in his chest on 19th December.
The police had been called to the scene by neighbours, who had complained about the smell.
They identified the man’s boyfriend of three years as a suspect after finding footage of them together in the lift of the apartment block just hours before the alleged crime.
The police believe the motive was of a financial nature, with the suspect telling officers he had sold the victim’s mobile phone just days after the crime.
The suspect remains in custody, where he awaits trial.
