A 36-year-old security guard has murdered his estranged schoolgirl lover before then also murdering her brother, mother and pet dog before taking his own life.
Leandro dos Santos Caetano shot dead his ex-girlfriend, 16-year-old Mariana Pires Tondati Champan, in the city of Birigui in the south-eastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.
He then shot dead her brother, her mother and the family’s pet dog before turning the gun on himself in the crime that took place on the afternoon of Tuesday, 24th August.
According to the victim’s cousin, Amanda dos Santos Vieira, the security guard, who hailed from the municipality of Brauna in the same state, had previously been violent towards Mariana.
She told news site G1: “As far as we know, they had been together again for about four months. It was a troubled relationship, they fought, and he even attacked and threatened Mariana. We even saw her injured.
“We had no contact with him, but we warned her to take care. A police report was even filed against him, but nothing was done.”
Mariana’s surviving relatives say the teen broke up with her older boyfriend and they believe this was the motive for the crime.
According to the crime report, the couple had been together for around two years in total, meaning Mariana was probably just 14 and the suspect 34 when they started dating. The legal age of consent in Brazil is 14.
The other two victims were named as Igor Markelli Ferreira Pires, aged 24, and Daiana Cristina Pires, aged 39.
All four were found dead inside a house, with Igor found inside the bathroom and Daiana on a sofa. The ex-couple’s bodies were found on the living room floor.
According to witnesses, Caetano arrived on a motorbike, entered the house and shot the victims before shooting himself.
The emergency services were then called, and the police seized a revolver apparently taken from the suspect’s work, ammunition, and three mobile phones from the scene.
Police chief Guilherme Melchior Valera said: “The teenager probably knelt, begging for her life. He executed her with a shot to the head. She fell on her knees, face down on the ground.”
The police are investigating the motive for the crime, which they have registered as triple homicide followed by suicide.
The funeral for Mariana, Igor and Daiana took place on the morning of Thursday, 26th August.
