The Soap Opera That “Inspired” a Girl to Kill Her Mother
The girl had the help of her boyfriend and they almost got away with it
In 2018, the Brazilian soap opera Segundo Sol introduced the villain Laureta Botini, who would later confuse viewers with her method of killing her rivals: injecting air into their veins. This method would cause them to have a pulmonary embolism and lead to death. Some viewers, therefore, began to question its effectiveness in real life, but one of them went too far to find out.
On the evening of October 2, 2018, 51-year-old Dircelene Botelho Garcia was found unconscious by her husband in bed. The bedroom door was locked and there was no sign of foul play. The emergency medical service was called and Dircelene was declared dead from unknown causes.
Two days later, Dircelene’s husband decided to check the footage from the hidden camera in his room. The couple had installed the camera because they suspected Dircelene’s daughter was stealing money from the wardrobe.
The footage revealed that Dircelene’s cause of death was no such thing as unknown. She had been murdered by her 21-year-old daughter Paloma Botelho de Vasconcelos, and her son-in-law, 26-year-old Gabriel Molter.
Turbulent mother-daughter relationship
Dircelene, known as Dirce, was an entrepreneur and worked hard to provide for her only daughter. The girl lived with her mother and stepfather in an upscale neighborhood of Petrópolis and would constantly travel abroad. Despite her good financial situation, Paloma dropped out of high school and didn’t seem interested in getting a degree. As a result, Dirce had been demanding some responsibility from her daughter.
But according to Paloma, she was frequently assaulted and humiliated by her mother, to the point she tried to take her own life. In a letter found in Paloma’s room, it reads: “You could have aborted me, but you preferred to have raised me lacking your maternal love. You don’t know how much I miss it.”
Paloma grew enraged when Dirce forbade her boyfriend of two years, Gabriel Molter, from visiting her house after an argument. Unbeknownst to Dirce, Paloma was planning her murder and would count on Gabriel’s help.
“Don’t kill me, daughter”
Shortly after 5:00 pm on October 2, 2018, Gabriel arrived at Paloma’s house. He walked fast and tried not to be caught by the camera placed in the kitchen. He snuck into Paloma’s room and spent most of his time there.
Around 7:50 pm, Dirce left the shower. Paloma entered her mother’s room and offered to give her a massage. Paloma asked her to lie face down, then sat on Dirce’s back preventing her from moving. At that moment, Gabriel walked into the room carrying a cloth soaked in formol and unsuccessfully tried to suffocate Dirce.
In a new attempt, the duo wrapped Dirce’s head in a plastic bag and tied it with duct tape.
According to police, Dirce begged “Don’t kill me, daughter. I am your mother and I love you,” to which Paloma answered, “I don’t have a mother.”
As Paloma noticed Dirce was still moving, she took a syringe and injected air into Dirce’s wrist. Paloma later told police she used the syringe inspired by the character Laureta after she realized her mother was still alive. She wanted to inject in the foot as shown in Segundo Sol, but she couldn’t find a vein. Instead, she injected air into the wrist.
Paloma then used a stethoscope to find out her mother had finally died.
The couple went on to prepare the perfect crime scene. They washed Dirce’s face, changed her clothes, and put makeup on her. Dircelene’s body was placed on her bed in an unsuspected position.
An hour later, Dirce’s husband came home to notice his room was locked and his wife wouldn’t answer the door. When he asked Paloma what could have happened, she said Dirce might be angry because they had argued earlier.
He called the emergency medical service and Dircelene was declared dead at the scene from unknown causes.
The hidden camera
Two days later, the widower curiously decided to check the footage from the hidden camera, which Paloma and Gabriel didn’t know about. As he learned about the murder, he immediately contacted the police.
The couple confessed to the murder on October 6, but could only be arrested three days later. It happened because of the electoral amnesty period, which does not allow some people to be arrested five days before and 48 hours after the election.
Dircelene’s body was exhumed and the medical examiner revealed that her cause of death was mechanical asphyxia.
Gabriel Molter stated that Paloma spent months searching for methods to kill her mother and leave no trace.
However, that wasn’t the first time Paloma tried to kill Dircelene. She once tried to kill her mother during a family dinner by putting poison in her wine. But as soon as Dirce noticed a weird smell, she decided not to drink that. An attitude that saved her life, but enraged her daughter.
Paloma claimed that she supposedly began planning her mother’s murder after Dircelene paid R$2,500 to an abortion clinic and forced her to abort her baby in 2017.
Paloma and Gabriel were charged with aggravated murder and tampering with evidence. They are awaiting trial.
