Brazilian Man Beat His Girlfriend to Death Over a Wardrobe Malfunction

By Mary Anne Webber First Posted: Mar 25, 2021 05:30 AM EDT

A Brazilian man allegedly beat his girlfriend to death over a wardrobe malfunction that exposed her breasts at a pool party.

Suspect Nikolas Iori Maichon, who is currently on the run, allegedly killed Ana Paula Coutinho after the victim accidentally flashed her breasts at a pool party last Mar. 18.

Reports said the 24-year-old victim's bikini came loose when she jumped into the water, exposing herself to other partygoers at the event in Itapecerica da Serra.

According to a Daily Mail report, the suspect accused Coutinho of deliberately revealing herself to other guests when he saw that her bikini had come loose and started to violently beat her.

The Brazilian man then told their friends that his girlfriend had drowned and that he had to take her to a hospital.

He allegedly bundled Countinho into his car and drove her to her house, later taking the victim's dead body to a local hospital before fleeing the scene, News.com reported.

In a phone call, Maichon told Countinho's family that she drowned in the pool after drinking alcohol. The Brazilian man also claimed that he rescued her and tried to revive her by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The suspect had called his mother when Coutinho vomited blood, and his mother helped him rushed his girlfriend to the hospital.

However, when the victim's relatives arrived at the hospital, only the suspect's mother was there, and Maichon had already fled the scene.

Coutinho's relatives became suspicious when they realized that the suspect had left, and the doctors told them that the cause of the victim's death might have been a head injury.

The couple's friends reportedly told the victim's family that the Brazilian man had violently attacked Coutinho after a wardrobe malfunction at the party.

Coutinho's relatives said Maichon had been aggressive with the victim on several occasions, but she always defended him.

Maichon was already wanted for running internet scams back in December. Authorities continue to search for the suspect.

Femicide Rates in Brazil

In a 2019 report, crime statistics for Brazil have shown a decline in murder rates. However, femicide cases increased four percent in the same period.

According to The Guardian, four women were killed every day in Brazil in 2019. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) described the numbers as alarming.

"The commission calls on the Brazilian state to implement comprehensive strategies to prevent these acts, fulfill its obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible, as well as to offer protection and comprehensive reparation to all victims," the Washington-based IACHR said in the report.

In 2015, Brazil passed a law to stem femicide, which gives a legal definition of the crime, with prison sentences of up to 30 years for convicted offenders.

Commissioner Margarette May, IACHR president and rapporteur for women's rights, said that Brazil's law on femicide was a significant step in making murders on women more visible. May added that it is now important to strengthen the prevention and protection measures.

According to Human Rights Watch, Brazil has only 74 shelters for victims of domestic violence despite having a population of more than 200 million.

WATCH: New 'Femicide' Rules Signed Into Law in Brazil - From CGTN America