Just one day after Brazil’s only openly gay Congressman fled the country due to increased anti-LGBTQ violence, we have a horrifying story to share with you all.
The Huffington Post reports that a man in Brazil was arrested on Monday in connection to the murder of a trans woman.
20-year-old Caio Santos de Oliveira was stopped by police on Monday morning after they saw him displaying “suspicious behavior.” When they found him, he had scratches on his body and a wound to his head.
After being questioned, Oliveira confessed to having sex with a transgender woman before stealing her cellphone and then tearing out her heart.
After confessing to his crime, Oliveria led police to a bar. That’s where the authorities found the corpse of 35-year-old Genilson José “Quelly” da Silva. The corpse of Quelly de Silva was found with injuries to her face and a large opening in her chest. That chest wound was also covered by an image of a saint.
The police then went to Oliveria’s home where they found Silva’s heat wrapped up in a cloth under a wardrobe.
According to Gay Star News, police believe that Silva’s death was motivated by transphobia. Oliverira added to that suspicion by telling reporters outside the police precinct that Silva was “a demon” and brought her death upon herself.
“The cruelty, the fact that the perpetrator referred to the victim as a ‘demon,’ the religious references — there is a whole level of symbolism that brings us face to face with the reality of transphobia in Brazil,” said Clara Masiero of the Brazilian Institute of Criminal Sciences.
Oliveira, who’s still in police custody, is facing robbery and felony homicide charges. In addition, Silva’s body will be buried as soon as it’s released by the medical examiner.
h/t: Huffington Post, Gay Star News
