Brazil: Former Congresswoman and Gospel Singer Flordelis de Souza Faces 50 Years Sentence for Husband's Murder

Flordelis dos Santos de Souza, 61, a former Brazil congresswoman and gospel singer, was sentenced to 50 years in jail for the murder of her pastor husband, Anderson do Carmo.

Prosecutors alleged she planned the shooting after unsuccessful attempts to poison him.

Meanwhile, her lawyer claimed that she would appeal the verdict, per BBC.

According to the court, the sentence length reflected de Souza's "hatred, cold-bloodedness, and disdain for human life," which she demonstrated by ordering her husband to be shot at the house where they lived with the numerous street children they had adopted.

De Souza's daughter was also convicted on Sunday, while two of his sons are already in prison for the pastor's murder.

Flordelis de Souza Husband's Murder

In 2019, do Carmo was shot at least 30 times in the garage of their Rio home. De Souza later claimed that her husband had been attacked by armed robbers who had chased them on motorcycles.

The prosecution accused De Souza of "orchestrating the homicide, enlisting to take part in the crime and attempting to disguise it as an armed robbery" in 2020.

They also believed that this action was taken to seize control of Do Carmo's financial management of the couple.

Before planning his murder, she made at least six attempts to poison her late husband with cyanide.

The former Brazil congresswoman's biological daughter Simone dos Santos Rodrigues received a 31-year prison term. One of her biological sons was found guilty of being the shooter who killed the pastor and received a 33-year sentence.

In addition, earlier this year, four of her adoptive children and a granddaughter received sentences during the trial.

Last week, Flordelis's attorneys claimed that she was unaware of her husband's murder, WION noted.

They said that they took this position to defend Flordelis from her husband's alleged abuse of her physically and sexually.

The judge quickly refuted these allegations, claiming that she was the one who had ordered the crime and made it out to be a botched heist.

"The victim kept a strict control of the family finances and administered conflicts rigidly, refusing to give preferential treatment to the ex-lawmaker's closest (friends) in detriment to other members of the family," according to the court's ruling.

One of the most infamous crimes in Brazil's history ended with the imposition of punishment.

Flordelis de Souza and Anderson do Carmo Before Murder

Flordelis de Souza was born and raised in Jacarezinho, a large Rio favela.

The couple went on to start a church called the Ministry of Flordelis and became well-known for having 55 children, most of whom were adopted.

Thousands of people went to Flordelis' empire of nine churches to hear her sing, and she was on TV to show how a dedicated mother should act.

In 2018, she used her fame to win a seat in Congress, The Guardian reported. She got more votes in Rio than any other candidate and joined the new government of the far-right president at the time, Jair Bolsonaro.

But investigators say that as soon as she took her seat, she started planning to get rid of Do Carmo.

She lost her immunity in June 2021, which made it possible for her to be tried.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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