Brazil: Man Sentenced to 27 Years For Ex-Girlfriend's Murder in Australia

Mario Marcelo Santoro, an engineer from Brazil, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison by a federal court for the murder of his former girlfriend, Cecília Haddad, in Australia in 2018, AP reports.

The Brazil man, currently in his mid-40s, confessed to the crime and was found guilty of aggravated homicide, asphyxiation, femicide, and concealing a corpse.

The verdict was delivered by a seven-person jury in Rio de Janeiro, consisting of six women and one man, on Thursday morning. Santoro's defense attorney has stated that they plan to appeal the decision.

In April 2018, Cecília Haddad's body was discovered in the Lane Cove River near her apartment in Sydney, Australia. By then, Santoro had already left the country and returned to Brazil.

Australian law enforcement authorities examined thousands of messages and gathered testimonies from friends and family members during their investigation.

It was revealed that Haddad had ended her relationship with Santoro, but he refused to accept her decision, leading to this tragic outcome.

Brazil Man Confesses to Ex-Girlfriend's Murder

Approximately ten days before Cecília Haddad's death, she issued an ultimatum to Mario Marcelo Santoro, asking him to leave her apartment or else she would involve the police, according to reports from O Globo newspaper and other media outlets present at the trial.

Australian detective John Edwards shared this information during the trial. At one point, Haddad even temporarily stayed with some friends, according to The Guardian.

Cellphone tracking data placed the Brazil man at Haddad's apartment near the river, where her body was later discovered.

O Globo also reported that sand and vegetation from that area were found in the victim's car, which Mario Marcelo Santoro was observed driving in the security camera footage.

During his testimony on Wednesday, Santoro admitted to visiting Haddad's residence to retrieve his passport for his return trip to Brazil.

He acknowledged that a heated argument ensued, and he confessed to "grabbing her neck" and applying force until she became motionless in his arms.

While Santoro maintained a relatively calm demeanor throughout the lengthy and detailed testimonies of the trial, he displayed emotion and shed tears when confessing to Haddad's murder.

Cecilia Haddad's Family Expresses Relief Following Brazil Man's Sentencing

Following the conclusion of the trial, Joao Miller Haddad, the brother of Cecilia Haddad, expressed that their long-standing "five-year battle" for justice had finally come to fruition, which was a significant step forward for the family, per ABC News.

Cecilia Haddad's mother, Maria Lucia Muller, acknowledged that the outcome represented the extent of justice within Brazil's legal system.

She openly expressed her desire for harsher penalties, such as death or life imprisonment, but acknowledged that such options are not available in Brazil.

Despite this, she found some relief that the trial had taken place and justice had been served to the maximum extent possible within the country's legal framework.

Maria Lucia also shared that the verdict and subsequent closure brought peace, gradually alleviating the burden of missing her daughter and the need for justice to be served.

While the pain of losing Cecília remains, there is a growing sense of solace in knowing that justice has been pursued and achieved to the best of their abilities.

The Brazil man's lawyer said they will appeal the sentence.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Jury retires to consider evidence that Mario Santoro killed Cecilia Haddad in Sydney - From 7NEWS