Naman Shrestha
HBO Max’s ‘A Brutal Pact: The Murder of Daniella Perez’ is a 5-part documentary series that covers the chilling and brutal murder of a 22-year-old up-and-coming Brazilian actress named Daniella Perez in 1992. When jealousy got the best of his co-star, Guilherme de Pádua, and his wife, Paula Thomaz, it resulted in something ugly for the young telenovela star. The show not only highlights the details of the murder but also delves deep into the investigation that ensued, raising questions about the whereabouts of the killers.
In a State of Jealousy, Guilherme de Pádua and Paula Thomaz Killed Daniella Perez
On November 2, 1969, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, José Antônio Salvador Thomaz and Leda Maria Pádua welcomed Guilherme de Pádua Thomaz into the world, the youngest of their four children. Growing up in a financially stable household, he was able to get an education from good academic institutions, including Colégio Loyola. Having a passion for acting since his childhood, Guilherme started acting in theater and even earned a few accolades for his performances. In order to pursue his dream of making it big as an actor, he moved to Rio de Janeiro in the late 1980s. In the following years, Guilherme worked in different kinds of plays and shows, including ‘A Noite dos Leopardos.’ In that particular show, not only did the actors perform unclothed, but they also interacted with the audience.
During one of these shows, Guilherme first met with 16-year-old Paula Nogueira, who used to attend such shows frequently. As sparks flew instantaneously between them, the two began dating. However, it soon turned into an unstable relationship, after which they took a break from one another to date other people. In 1992, the romance between Guilherme and Paula reignited, and they got married. Thanks to Paula’s father, the newly married couple purchased an apartment in one of Rio’s liveliest neighborhoods — Copacabana. Several months later, the couple entered parenthood as Paula gave birth to their only child, Filipe. Later that same year, in December 1992, Guilherme had been working in a soap opera with 22-year-old actress Daniella Perez.
When he got frustrated about not getting enough screen time, he allegedly harassed her before hatching a plan to murder her. On the other hand, Paula had seemingly grown jealous of her husband’s interactions with his co-star and got involved in planning her murder as well. On the night of December 28, 1992, the couple drove down to a parking lot in Rio de Janeiro, where Daniella was parked. They ambushed the young actress, stabbed her 18 times, and left her to die in the vacant lot. However, as per reports, there were several witnesses of the crime, so Guilherme confessed to the killing the following day and claimed that he lied to his wife about having an affair with Daniella in order to make her participate in the murder with him.
While Guilherme de Pádua Passed Away, Paula Thomaz Leads a Rather Discreet Life Under a New Name
After getting arrested for the homicide, both Guilherme de Pádua and Paula Thomaz were tried and found guilty of second-degree manslaughter with foul motive. Finally, on January 25, 1997, they were sentenced to 19 years and six months in prison for their crimes. While the couple was imprisoned, they got divorced. During his time in prison, he claimed that he was suicidal and went through several problems like mycosis, severe toothache, and scabies. After serving a total of six years out of their 19-year imprisonment sentence, Guilherme was released in 1999, while Paula was released to a semi-open regime from a closed regime in the same year.
Several years after getting out of prison, in March 2006, Guilherme tied the knot with fashion producer Paula Maia. At some point down the line, his former wife, Paula Nogueira, also moved on and got married to Sérgio Rodrigues Peixoto. After earning a law degree, she started a new life under her new name, Paula Nogueira Peixoto, with her then-husband. By 2012, Guilherme was employed as an IT Manager at Itaipu Vidros. The following year, Paula filed an appeal to not be linked to the murder of Daniella anymore, but the Supreme Court of Justice denied her request.
Lasting about eight years, the marriage between Guilherme and Maia came to a close in 2014, not in the most amicable manner, as in August 2015, the latter described him as a master manipulator. About four years after the initial appeal, in April 2016, Guilherme was ordered to compensate Daniella’s mother, Gloria Perez, and Daniella’s husband, Raul Gazolla, with approximately R$440,000 at the time. He was also sentenced to pay the victim’s burial and funeral expenses and the legal costs and lawyer fees. The following year, on March 14, he got married again, this time to a fashion designer named Juliana Lacerda. He ended the year by becoming a pastor at one of the largest evangelical megachurches in the world — The Baptist Church of Lagoinha in Belo Horizonte.
Just a few days after turning 53, Guilherme de Pádua passed away on November 6, 2022, at his Belo Horizonte residence, from a heart attack. His sudden demise caused huge unrest in the artistic world, with big artists sending condolences to him and his family. Before getting buried in the Parque da Colina cemetery, his body was laid out at the Baptist Church of Lagoinha and the service was attended by nearly 300 people. However, as per reports, he died without paying the above-mentioned compensation to the family of his victim. As for Paula Nogueira Peixoto, she reportedly resides in Rio de Janeiro with her loving family while working as a successful lawyer.
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