Police are searching for killer goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes who murdered his model former girlfriend when she demanded he accept paternity for their son, and who has now gone on the run after he was given parole.
The case concerns Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the state’s Court of Justice confirmed on 10th March that an arrest warrant had been issued after his conditional release was revoked when he travelled out of the state to play a football match.
According to the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice, the decision was taken by the Criminal Enforcement Court after it determined that the former footballer had breached one of the rules of his conditional release.
The court found that Bruno had failed to comply with an order to return to the semi-open prison regime after the benefit was revoked.
A judge issued the arrest warrant on 5th March, which remains valid for up to 16 years, ordering that the former athlete return to serving his sentence in the semi-open regime.
Authorities said Bruno was classified as a fugitive after he failed to present himself to the justice system following the revocation of his parole for the killing of Eliza Samudio.
The decision was linked to a trip he made on 15th February to the state of Acre in northern Brazil.
According to court records, he travelled there without prior judicial authorisation to play for the football club Vasco-AC, despite a condition of his parole that prohibited him from leaving the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The Criminal Enforcement Court concluded that the trip violated the terms imposed when the benefit of conditional release was granted.
Bruno was arrested in 2010 over the killing of his former girlfriend, model Eliza Samudio, in a case that drew widespread attention in Brazil and internationally.
In 2013, he was convicted and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for homicide, kidnapping, unlawful detention and concealment of a body.
Prosecutors said Samudio was killed after demanding that Bruno recognise the paternity of their son.
Her body has never been recovered.
Bruno remained in a closed prison regime between 2010 and 2019 before progressing to the semi-open regime.
In 2023, he was granted conditional release under court-imposed restrictions, including maintaining a fixed address, regularly reporting to authorities and not leaving the state without judicial permission.
His lawyer, Mariana Migliorini, told Brazilian media that the defence had advised Bruno not to surrender for the moment and intended to appeal the judicial decision.
According to the defence, Bruno had been complying with the requirements of his conditional release for several years, including regularly reporting to authorities and keeping his address updated.
With the revocation of the benefit and the issuance of the arrest warrant, authorities are now attempting to locate the former footballer so he can return to serving his sentence under the semi-open regime.
