A Brazilian man is standing trial for killing his pregnant wife during sexual intercourse after arguing about Christmas dinner.

Marcelo Augusto de Sousa Araujo allegedly killed his pregnant wife, makeup artist Francine Rigo dos Santos, 21, during sexual intercourse in the Brazilian municipality of Varzea Paulista days before Christmas last year.

The crime took place on 22nd December 2019, but an unconvincing ‘farewell letter’ written by the then-21-year-old Araujo impersonating Santos has only recently surfaced.

In the implausible letter, the suspect wrote: “Hi, people. We’re tired of our family interfering so much in our life. We love each other a lot, whether you accept it or not, so we’ve decided to leave together.”

Santos was a few months pregnant when she died from respiratory arrest, cardiac arrest, hypothermia, and dehydration from a cut to the throat, a fracture to the right wrist, and head trauma.

Araujo reportedly confessed to killing Santos during an argument about Christmas dinner and the young woman’s pregnancy while being intimate together.

According to local media, Araujo logged onto Santos’ Facebook account and publicly posted as her the day after committing the crime. He is believed to have written the forged letter around the same time.

The young woman’s relatives, who had been unable to contact her, broke down her door and found her dead.

The house was stained with blood and Araujo was found with injuries to his wrists and neck from attempting suicide. He was taken to hospital and later to the police station.

A judge ruled on 7th August 2020 that Araujo would face trial by jury on charges of femicide. However, a date for the trial has not yet been set.

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