Brazilian 'murder' goalkeeper to finish sentence under house arrest

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – A Brazilian goalkeeper convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend left prison on Saturday to finish the rest of his 22-year sentence under house arrest.

Former Flamengo stopper Bruno Fernandes, jailed in 2013 for his role in the slaying of model Eliza Samudio, could be seen on television being rushed into a vehicle following his release from Varginha prison in Minas Gerais state.

The 34-year-old was originally incarcerated in 2010 for his role in the kidnapping, imprisonment and killing of Samudio, who had sued him for child support for their son.

Bruno, as he is universally known in Brazil, admitted in court he had conspired with friends to kill her and that her body had been fed in pieces to dogs, but never admitted to taking direct part in the murder and disposal of the body.

He has been allowed to leave prison due to a court ruling that he “satisfied conditions to benefit from the semi-open regime”, which allows convicts to work or to follow a training programme outside prison if he returns to his cell at night to sleep.

As Varginha Prison does not have adequate facilities for the coming and going of detainees, Fernandes has been allowed to sleep at his home, where he will have to remain between 8:00pm to 6:00am every night, including on Sundays and holidays.

Bruno was freed in February 2017 by a top court pending an appeal against his sentence, only to be reimprisoned two months later.

In March that year he was signed up by second division team Boa Esporte in the southeastern city of Varginha, sparking outrage at his quick reentry into the sport and leading to the club losing three of its sponsors.