Human Remains Were Found on The Streets of Brazil’s Largest City
Did they belong to the same person? Who could have done that?
On the morning of March 23, 2014, a pair of arms and legs were found in plastic bags by a homeless man in Higienópolis, downtown São Paulo. Shortly after, officers were again informed that a woman had found a human skinless torso near that same location. And once again, a pedestrian discovered a bag containing human thighs.
At first, it wasn’t possible to determine whether the body parts were from the same victim. Moreover, the head and genitals had not been found.
It was not until four days later that a head in an advanced state of putrefaction was ultimately found in a bag at Praça da Sé, a public square about two miles (three km) from Higienópolis. In total, the body was dumped at four nearby locations.
The victim was identified as 55-year-old Álvaro Pedroso, a father-of-two who worked as a bus driver and lived with his wife.
He had an affair with Marlene Gomes, a 57-year-old prostitute, for at least seven years, and used to provide financial support to Gomes and her daughter, whose name has not been disclosed. His daughter, Jesselene, was aware of that, just like his wife, Maria Eli.
Álvaro was last seen on March 22. That Saturday, he went to meet Marlene at the brothel where she lived in the center of São Paulo, without his car. They used to spend weekends together in hotels, but the change in plans didn’t arouse suspicion.
A few days later, Jesselene and Maria Eli filed a missing person’s report. It had not crossed their minds that the remains found scattered on the streets belonged to their loved one until an investigator knocked on their door. They were requested to take a look at the composite sketch and get a DNA test.
Marlene did not want to live with Álvaro, his wife said, but she wanted his money. In accordance with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, she knew that he intended to end the relationship and therefore she would no longer receive his financial support. That said, she decided to take action.
In contrast, Marlene painted herself as the victim. She stated that Álvaro was abusive towards her and that she killed him in order to get away from his aggression, sexual torture, and death threats including against her daughter.
On the evening of March 22, Álvaro was lured into her residence. There, she bludgeoned him to death in the bathroom, chopped his body into parts with a knife that he allegedly carried with him, and packed them in bags. The medical examiner determined that the victim died after suffering a traumatic brain injury and was cut up with a saw, although she denied using a saw.
In an interview given by Marlene while incarcerated, she stated:
“He hit me, I fell, I hurt my arm a lot. It was when I pushed him. He fell moaning on the bathroom floor, his face hit the toilet. At that very moment, I got a hammer and hit him more.” source
According to investigators, Álvaro was drunk and Marlene pushed him to the floor. As he knocked unconscious, she hit him several times in the head with a hammer.
She then got help from two friends to get rid of his body; 35-year-old Francisca Aurilene, who was also a prostitute, and 33-year-old Márcia de Oliveira.
They were caught on CCTV getting out of a taxi in the early hours of Sunday morning and walking down the streets pushing two folding shopping carts and carrying bags which contained the body parts. Although the head was found two miles away, they had not taken it there. Marlene believes that a waste picker found the bag and carried it there.
His torso skin, genitals, and fingertips were also thrown away, but were never found.
According to Jesselene, her father left his house that day saying he would meet Marlene’s family. “Since when does a prostitute introduce a relative to a boyfriend?” she asked.
They described him as a good husband and father, who always gave them everything and was neither aggressive nor abusive as Marlene said.
Maria Eli and Jesselene said they would like to see the three women rot in jail; however, as the maximum prison sentence in Brazil is 40 years, relatives of victims often have to settle for less.
In March 2016, Marlene Gomes was found guilty of aggravated murder and concealing Álvaro’s body, and was sentenced to 19 years and 10 months in prison. Francisca Aurilene and Márcia Oliveira were found guilty of concealment of a body and sentenced to 1 year in open conditions.
