Latest news with #Curitiba
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Beauty queen strangled to death by longtime family friend after he revealed shocking secret
A young beauty queen was allegedly strangled to death by a longtime family friend who confessed his love for her - only to fly into a murderous rage when she rejected his advances. Suspect Marcelo Alves, 40, told police that he made up a story about a job opportunity in Sorocaba, Brazil, and pitched it to Raissa da Silva, 23. Video footage showed da Silva getting in a vehicle with Alves, an up-and-coming comedian, on June 2 and waving at her family before they reported her missing. They went out for lunch and then visited his home in Curitiba, where Alves admitted to da Silva that he loved her, according to Paraná Civil Police chief Aline Manzatto. Alves, who is known on stage as Alves Li Pernambuco, said that da Silva got upset and insulted him before he strangled her with a plastic wire. 'He said he was angry and out of control, that he took the plastic wire and strangled the victim, leaving her in one room of the house and going to another,' Manzatto said. Alves returned to the room 10 minutes later to find her dead. Manzatto indicated that Alves placed da Silva's body in a tarp and wrapped it before sealing it with duct tape. He then called his son, Dhony, who begged him to turn himself in to the police. Alves then borrowed a vehicle from a friend, and with the assistance of his son transported the body to a forest in the town of Araucária - about 18 miles from Curitiba - and buried da Silva. On Monday, Alves went to a police station in Curitiba and admitted to killing da Silva and hiding her body. He gave his confession just moments after sending da Silva's sister audio message copping to the crime, the victim's family's lawyer told Brazilian news outlet G1. Alves provided the location of da Silva's body and led cops to the site. Da Silva, a native of Paulo Alfonso, was only 10 years old when she met Alves, a friend of the family, at a martial art class he taught. She was crowned Miss Serra Branca Teen in 2020 and had been doing modeling work in Curitiba, where she lived the past three years. Da Siva's cousin, Herbert Guilherme, told G1 that Alves even offered to assist the family in their search after she went missing because da Silva saw him as a father figure 'When I found out about her disappearance, I called him,' Guilherme said. 'He lied the whole time. He kept saying he was going to help me find her.' Alves remains jailed on charges of homicide and concealment of a body. Dhony was charged with concealing a corpse and was released after posting bail. The comedian's lawyer, Caio Percival, told RPC television that he has a clean record and had never stepped inside a police precinct before his confession. 'There is no secret to this, it is a crime of passion,' Percival said. '[He] unfortunately was dragged by passion into this situation that is clearly out of the ordinary.
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Brazilian comedian jailed for eight years for offensive jokes
A Brazilian comedian has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for telling offensive jokes. Léo Lins was found guilty of inciting intolerance with a 2022 stand-up routine that made fun of black people, indigenous people, fat people, gay people, Jews, evangelicals, disabled people and those with HIV. During the performance, which was uploaded to YouTube and has more than three million views, Lins told a 4,000-strong crowd in Curitiba, in southern Brazil: 'Prejudice, to me, is a primitive thing that shouldn't exist any more. Just like indigenous people. Enough already.' Wearing a bright red shirt and yellow trousers, he warned the audience that he 'jokes about everything and everyone'. 'I hired an interpreter so I could offend the deaf' He told them: 'What show could be more inclusive? I even hired a sign language interpreter just to be able to offend the deaf-mute.' However, a judge in the São Paulo state criminal court last week found that his act amounted to 'practising' or 'inciting' racism and religious intolerance, as well as being discriminatory towards disabled people. Judge Barbara de Lima Iseppi said that 'freedom of expression is not absolute nor unlimited' and 'when there is a confrontation between the fundamental precept of liberty of expression and the principles of human dignity and judicial equality, the latter should win out'. The judge imposed a total jail sentence of eight years and three months, which Lins intends to appeal against. Lins's targets were not limited to minorities and those with disabilities. 'I'm totally against paedophilia – I'm more in favour of incest,' he told the audience, who roared with laughter throughout the set. 'If you're going to abuse a child, abuse your own. What's he going to do? Tell his dad?' The comedian remains free pending the appeal, and continues to post messages and videos to his more than 4.5 million followers on social media. On Monday, he posted a photograph of his 'prison kit', which included a packet of cigarettes and a pair of handcuffs. His legal team has described the sentence as a threat to freedom of speech and an attempt to 'criminalise comedy'. 'It seems like people have lost the ability to interpret the obvious,' said Lins. 'We're living through one of the biggest epidemics of our time: rational blindness. Judgments are now based entirely on emotion – no one listens any more, they only want to impose their own truth.' New drive to enforce hate speech laws in Brazil On top of the prison sentence, he has been ordered to pay a fine of 300,000 reais (£40,000) in collective moral damages. Brazil has had anti-hate speech laws on the books for years, but has only recently begun to aggressively enforce them. The Washington Post reported that Jamil Assis of the Sivis Institute, a Brazilian free speech think tank, said there has been an increase in 'modern judges' who are removing protections historically granted to satirical speech. Lins's conviction has been criticised by sections of Brazilian society, including journalists, free speech advocates, conservative politicians and other comedians. But others have defended the decision to jail him. Fábio de Sá Cesnik, a lawyer with the Brazilian law firm CQS/F, told the Folha de newspaper that there must be some limits on free speech. 'Harming the dignity of someone else is equally important,' he said.
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Extremely Lifelike Dolls Cause a Frenzy in Brazil
A young woman posts a video that appears to show her holding her baby, Bento, and packing his bag for a trip to the hospital. She calls it 'one of the busiest and scariest days for me.' She grabs onesies, a bottle and medical documents and tucks him in the back of a car. At the hospital, he is weighed and lies in a bed, where she removes his pacifier, bottle-feeds him and wipes a few drops of formula from his cheek. But this was not an actual medical emergency — it was role-playing by a content creator — and the baby was not a real baby. It was a shockingly lifelike doll, called a reborn doll, which is handcrafted to look and feel like a baby. The video, which received more than 16 million views on TikTok, is part of a social media craze that has turned into a cultural and political flashpoint in Brazil. Widely circulated videos show women taking the hyperrealistic dolls to the park in strollers, celebrating their birthdays with cake and songs, and simulating childbirth. (A select few even simulate the dolls' having a nosebleed or potty training.) 'The ones I like the most are the newborns,' said Juliana Drusz Magri, 36, who lives in Curitiba, the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná, and works in human resources. She said she began collecting the dolls in 2018 and now has 22. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Mum, 24, dies in hot tub accident with entire body SCALDED when she passed out in water before waking up screaming
A MUM has tragically died after falling unconscious in a hot tub at a motel room. Gabriele Cristine Barreto de Freitas, 24, was left with horrific burns all over her body when she woke up screaming. 4 4 The mum-of-one had been at the motel in Curitiba, in the Brazilian state of Parana, with a man she had met at a party. She died with agonising third-degree burns after she was rushed to the hospital. The pair decided to take a hot bath together for a relaxing dip. However, things took a tragic turn when Gabriele decided to stay after her partner got out of the tub to go to bed. She passed out inside the hot tub after apparently hitting her head. The mum then woke up screaming as she saw bits of her skin hanging from her body after suffering severe burns. Shocking images from an intensive care unit show her entire body wrapped up in bandages. One image showed a large strip of skin hanging from her face. Gabriele reportedly died from a massive cardiac arrest - just six days after her family said she was recovering. Jenifer Vaniele Barreto, her sister, said: "We don't understand how Gabriele's death happened. "No one gave us any answers, they just said she had a cardiac arrest and died, that's all. The police at the Curitiba Homicide Division have now opened an investigation into the shocking death. The man she went with to the motel has not yet been interviewed by the police, according to local media reports. But the family's lawyer, Valter Ribeiro Junior, says they are demanding tests on the hot tub's thermostat to see if it was faulty. He said: "It is unacceptable that someone goes to a motel for leisure and leaves burnt to the point of dying days later. "If it happened to her, it's probably going to happen to other people. "It is possible that the equipment is not up to date and may have caused these burns." Gabriele leaves behind a five-year-old son, now being cared for by her mother. Hot tub safety tips Temperature Check: Keep the water temperature at or below 40°C (104°F) to avoid overheating. Soaking for extended periods in hotter water can lead to drowsiness, which could be dangerous. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water before, during, and after using the hot tub. This helps prevent dehydration and overheating. Avoid Alcohol & Drugs: Don't use alcohol or drugs before or while using a hot tub. They can impair your judgment and increase the risk of accidents or health problems. Supervise Children: Never leave children unattended in or near a hot tub. Ensure they understand the rules and potential dangers, and that the water isn't too deep for them.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Hot tub horror as mother, 24, suffers fatal burns after hitting her head and falling into scalding water
A woman suffered fatal burns after hitting her head and falling unconscious in a hot tub in a hotel. Mother-of-one Gabriele Cristine Barreto de Freitas had was staying at a hotel in Curitiba, in the Brazilian state of Parana, with a man she had met at a party a week earlier. The pair were reportedly both enjoying a soak in a hot tub in the hotel. Her partner then got up to leave and Gabriele stayed behind. Once on her own, she reportedly hit her head and passed out, local media have reported. It is understood that her partner heard Gabriele slip and fall in the tub. She then woke up and her partner reportedly noticed her hand was peeling and her thigh had burn blisters. The 24-year-old suffered third degree burns from the scalding water in the hot tub. She was then rushed to a hospital, where her entire body was wrapped up in bandages. She remained conscious at the hospital and was recording videos for her family. Despite signs of recovery, six days later it was reported that Gabriele had suffered cardiac arrest and had died on June 5. Her sister, Jenifer Vaniele Barreto, said: 'They arrived at the hotel and he turned on the tub to a hot temperature. 'The two went to shower, took a bath and he left first and went to bed. He heard her fall and slip in the tub.' She added: 'We don't understand how Gabriele's death happened. No one gave us any answers, they just said she had a cardiac arrest and died, that's all.' The police at the Curitiba Homicide Division have opened an investigation into Gabriele's death. The man who she went to the hotel with has not yet been interviewed by the police, according to local media reports. The family's lawyer Valter Ribeiro Junior said they are demanding tests on the hot tub's thermostat to see if it was faulty. He said: 'It is unacceptable that someone goes to a hotel for leisure and leaves burnt to the point of dying days later. 'If it happened to her, it's probably going to happen to other people. 'It is possible that the equipment is not up to date and may have caused these burns.' Gabriele leaves behind a five-year-old son, who is now being cared for by her mother.
