A 36-year-old law student from Brazil has been accused of killing at least four people in five months, mostly using rat poison.
The suspect, Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes, is also accused of testing the substance on dogs, killing at least ten.
Veloso Fernandes, dubbed the “Angel-Faced Killer” by the media, is “extremely manipulative” and shows “a lack of remorse” for the alleged crimes, Police Chief Halisson Ideião stated.
Highlights
- Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes, a Brazilian law student, is accused of killing at least four people over five months.
- She allegedly kept her landlord's decomposing body in her home for five days.
- Ana Paula Veloso's twin sister, Roberta, is believed to have been involved in the crimes as well.
Image credits: O Povo
Image credits: O Povo
Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of murder, poisoning, and animal cruelty which some readers may find disturbing.
The mother-in-law student from São Paulo would “certainly attempt to kill others” if released, Ideião warned.
One of the four crimes linked to Veloso Fernandes involves her landlord, Marcelo Hari Fonseca, whom she allegedly stabbed during an argument in January, as per The Post.
Though the case was initially closed due to a lack of evidence, it was later reopened when the victim’s daughter gave another interview to police.
One of the alleged murders involved her landlord, Marcelo Hari Fonseca
Image credits: G1
According to police, the 36-year-old woman confessed, telling investigators she had covered the entrance to the crime scene with a sheet so her relatives would not see the body, the report said.
Veloso Fernandes is believed to have kept the decomposing body inside her home for five days.
She reportedly told officers that she later burned the couch where she had stabbed her landlord, claiming she did it to “remove odors” and “clean the room.”
The law student allegedly killed three others: Maria Aparecida Rodrigues, Hayder Mhazres, and Neil Correa da Silva, with motives ranging from financial gain to revenge.
She is also accused of killing Maria Aparecida Rodrigues and trying to frame her ex for the crime
Image credits: G1
Another crime linked to Veloso Fernandes is that of Maria Aparecida Rodrigues in April. According to police, Veloso Fernandes took her life in an attempt to frame the suspect’s ex-boyfriend.
Using the fake name Carla, she met Maria Aparecida through a dating app. During their encounter, Veloso Fernandes reportedly convinced the victim to buy a SIM card and write phrases like "dangerous man" and "will kill me," mentioning the police officer's name.
She then allegedly offered the woman a poisoned cake, according to police.
Veloso Fernandes was also accused of fatally poisoning Neil Correia da Silva, the father of a friend, reportedly at the request of her friend
Image credits: G1
Image credits: G1
Another victim was businessman Neil Correia da Silva. The suspect is believed to have been paid to kill him at the request of the victim's daughter, Michelle Paiva de Queiroz, who is a friend of Veloso Fernandes, local outlet G1 reported.
Veloso Fernandes reportedly traveled by bus from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro to carry out the crime. She brought the poison and, together with Michelle, prepared the victim's food.
Veloso Fernandes allegedly referred to the murder as "helping a friend."
Image credits: G1
The last known victim is reported to be Mhazres, a 21-year-old Tunisian man with whom she had a romantic relationship in May.
According to police reports, Veloso Fernandes faked a pregnancy to pressure Mhazres into continuing their relationship. When he rejected her, she allegedly bought a smoothie, added poison, and served it to him.
Police say the 36-year-old used various strategies to lure victims
Image credits: TV Globo
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the suspect received help from her twin sister, Roberta, to fatally poison all four victims.
During a search of the suspect’s home, police found a banned insecticide believed to have been used in the crimes.
Veloso Fernandes remains in custody while testing continues on the exhumed bodies. Her twin sister and Michele Paiva de Queiroz, a college friend of the suspect, have also been detained.
Image credits: CNN Brazil
All four victims reportedly showed pulmonary edema and other internal signs consistent with poisoning. However, authorities are still awaiting forensic results to determine the exact substance used.
Three of the four bodies have already been exhumed for analysis. Experts suspect that the four fatalities may have been caused by ingestion of chumbinho, the popular name for rat poison.
Police Chief Halisson Ideião stated that Veloso Fernandes fits “a classic psychopathic profile"
Image credits: G1
In her statement to the court, Veloso Fernandes admitted involvement in some of the cases but denied using poison, according to G1.
Police Chief Ideião stated that Veloso Fernandes fits “a classic psychopathic profile.”
“She was always the first to call the police, appearing as a complainant or witness, even when she was the perpetrator of the crime,” he stated.
Image credits: G1
Veloso Fernandes is being investigated as a serial killer by the DHPP's Behavioral Analysis Unit. She, her twin sister Roberta, and Michelle Paiva de Queiroz are all under investigation as police work to determine whether there are additional victims.