Suspected mastermind’s husband and wife admit they had a “difference of opinion” with the victim

• read more: Mother accuses son of killing woman in Rio. The victim had a baby in a stroller when she was murdered.
• Over 1,000 communities under faction control: According to the PM report, CV operates in 70 out of 92 cities in Rio state.

In a statement to police, he said the pair dealt with matters related to the “protection and visitation” of a four-year-old girl. In a report to deputies, the man said he learned of Rice’s death after Gabriel received a message informing him of what had happened. He denied any involvement and said he had “never employed, asked for or authorized anyone to harm my ex-partner.”

During the criminal investigation, police interviewed several witnesses who knew Rice and Gabriel. Rice’s brother said the victim had repeatedly received threats from Gabriel through messages on social media. He said their disagreement had to do with a custody and co-residence dispute with the girl, Rice’s daughter from his first marriage. Custody was joint, and the child spent weekends at Gabriel’s home with his father.

Gabriel himself gave statements to police during the investigation. She said she had been married to Ms Rice’s ex-husband since 2022 and that he helped her pay the girl’s pension. The child’s father and Gabriel’s current husband said he had never heard of any intent by his wife to harm the victim.

Another witness who was in a relationship with Rice told police that the only person the victim had problems with was Gabrielle, who was “very controlling and wanted to handle everything.” Gabriel also said he was very possessive of the girl and always “wanted to show” him that he “could give more” than her mother.

Rice’s friends reported that before he started dating Gabriel, Rice’s ex-husband never even requested to see their daughter. After they started dating, it would have become a “couple obsession.” The girl’s grandmother said in testimony that Gabriel developed an “obsession” with the victim’s daughter and always wanted to be ahead of everything “even her own father” when it came to the child. According to her grandmother, the girl herself said Gabrielle had requested that she call her “mommy.” The woman said the girl had two mothers, “Mama Gabi and Mama Rice.”

On Monday, police arrested two suspects involved in the crime: Eric Santos María, who was driving the motorcycle, and Davi de Sousa Marto, who fired the gun. They confessed to the crime at the homicide police station. Davi’s mother, Kelly Silva de Souza, noticed that her son had told a neighbor that he had killed someone. Police said Gabriel offered 20,000 reais for the victim’s execution.

The camera recorded the last moments

The last moments of Lais de Oliveira Gómez Pereira, 24, who died last Tuesday while walking with his son in a stroller along Travessa Santa Vitória in Sepetiba, Rio’s western region, were recorded on a security camera. Images show a young woman crossing the street with her baby moments before she was shot. In the image, a young woman can be seen pushing a stroller with a baby inside.