Kriti Mehrotra
It was in the summer of 2009 when everything turned upside down for Bruno Fernandes das Dores de Souza, better known as Bruno Fernandes, as he got involved in a murder at the peak of his career. That’s because, as explored in Netflix’s ‘An Invisible Victim: The Eliza Samudio Case,’ his 24-year-old model girlfriend came forward to reveal she was pregnant with his child. That’s despite him being engaged to someone else, dating at least a few other women, and allegedly lifting his hands on her Eliza Samudio, allegations he initially denied and ignored.
Bruno Fernandes Was Once a Renowned Local Soccer Star
Although a native of Ribeirão das Neves in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Bruno has spent the majority of his adult life in Rio de Janeiro in the hopes of making a name for himself as an athlete. He did have his fair share of issues along this journey, but things changed in 2006 when he was signed by investment fund Media Sports Investments, shortly after which he signed a playing contract with Corinthians. The truth is he was married to Dayanna Rodrigues at the time — they had tied the knot in 2004 — and everything turned in 2007 once he was transferred to Flamengo.
That’s because, at Flamengo, Bruno’s true skill was uncovered in the way he desired, leading him to become one of its favorite players as the goalkeeper and then leave his mom alone. The Brazil national team hopeful was even appointed captain in May 2009, just shortly before Eliza Samudio came forward with her claims of his infidelity, abuse, and violence — the former of which Dayanne verified; they were separated at the time because of the same. It was the assault accusations that apparently bothered all the parties involved the most, though, as well as the fact Eliza claimed to be pregnant at the time.
Bruno Apparently Has a History of Violence
According to records, the relationship between Eliza and Bruno was volatile from the get-go, but it became even more so after she went public, and he denied ever even knowing her. She was called a “gold digger,” only for things to become a lot more serious in October 2009 as she filed a police complaint of assault, involuntary kidnapping, and forceful stay about this only. She claimed she was taken hostage by her then-boyfriend and two of his friends until she took “abortive substances” at gunpoint, just to then still allegedly being assaulted by them.
Eliza’s allegation was later confirmed through the marks on her body and substances in her urine, yet she was still denied a restraining order against him when she asked for it. She decided to leave Rio for good because all she really wanted was to be able to provide a good life for her child, whom she had realized Bruno wouldn’t recognize, considering the way he was publicly calling her a liar and asserting she was making stuff up. Nevertheless, shortly after she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, he allegedly came in contact with her under the pretense he was ready to take a paternity test, bond with the baby, and then recognize him.
According to the aforementioned show, that’s how Eliza returned to Rio—she was hopeful for their son and eager to ensure he got the best life imaginable, but she was also understandably cautious. Little did she know she would actually end up losing her life mere weeks later – she was last seen alive on June 9 after reportedly having been kept hostage at her baby daddy’s ranch. Per some confessions, she had a gash on her head by this point and several other wounds across her body, only for her to then be transported to an acquaintance of Bruno’s, Marcos “Bola” Aparecido dos Santos, who killed her – she died on June 10, 2010.
Bruno Fernandes Was Accused of Being the Mastermind in Eliza’s Case
It was months of investigation before officials arrested Bruno, his right-hand man Luiz “Macarrão” Henrique Romão, Bola, ex-wife Dayanne Rodrigues do Carmo Souza, and several others on various crimes related to Eliza’s murder. This included charges of murder, concealment of a body, kidnapping, etc, with the latter being involved because Eliza and Bruno’s then 4-month-old son was left in the care of someone who didn’t even know them in the aftermath of it all. According to Dayanne, she was told by her ex to care for him for a few days as “Eliza had left to take care of some personal matters for a week,” so she gave it to a friend.
This child was subsequently taken by local authorities, following which his maternal grandmother, Eliza’s mother, got custody of him for good. And since Dayanne didn’t know anything else, she was acquitted. As for the others, according to Bruno’s then 17-year-old nephew and a cousin, inviting Eliza back to Rio was just a massive hoax to have her killed, with the former witnessing everything. He actually claimed he and Macarrão had taken her to Bola’s house on the fateful day, only for him to strangle her to death in a chokehold before cutting him up and feeding some of her remains to his dogs before disposing of the others.
Unfortunately, Eliza’s remains have never been uncovered, but this confession did help the authorities know for sure that the 25-year-old soccer player and model had indeed been killed. Nevertheless, despite having been accused of being the mastermind of this whole ordeal, considering their history and the evidence, Bruno has never once admitted to it. Instead, he claimed his childhood best friend and right-hand man Macarrão had decided to organize it all on his own under the belief he would be helping him in the long run. Yet, his claims weren’t believed.
Despite a Murder Conviction, Bruno Fernandes is Now a Free Man
It was in 2013 when Bruno was found guilty of triple aggravated homicide, kidnapping, and concealment of a body, following which he was sentenced to a total of 22 years and 3 months behind bars. However, merely two years after his failed appeal in 2017, he was allowed release to partial house arrest, meaning he could work during the day but had to return to his house every night. He was actually subsequently able to return to the world of football too, and he joined the club named Poços de Caldas, only for it to lose most of its sponsors owing to the decision, resulting in him needing to change teams the next year.
Bruno signed with Rio Branco Football Club in 2020 before announcing his retirement the following year, just to return to the sport within months and get signed by Atlético Carioca in 2021. Less than a year later, he was granted full release from his sentence, so today, at the age of 39, he is a free man who is simply trying to lead his best possible life as a married family man in Rio. From what we can tell, he has since found love again and is focusing all his energy on his family and his business endeavors these days — after all, he has since evolved into a full-fledged investor with a furniture business.
Read More: Where Are the Accused in the Eliza Samudio Case Now?
