Watchman confesses to murdering federal employee; ‘My son was going through health problems’

Ívina Garcia – From Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Suspected of killing the federal employee of the Regional Labor Court of the 11th Region (TRT-11) Silvanilde Ferreira Veiga, Caio Claudino de Souza, 25, spoke to the press on the afternoon of Tuesday, 31, leaving the Police Department of Homicide and Kidnappings (DEHS), in the East Zone of Manaus, that the crime was motivated by money.

The crime occurred around 5 pm last Saturday, 21, but the body was only found around 10 pm. The suspect said he was under the influence of drugs and needed money. “My son was going through a health problem,” he justified.

In a statement, Caio confessed that he followed the victim to the apartment after she left to throw the garbage out. Security camera images show the suspect with a blood stain on his shirt around 6pm.

“He saw an opportunity, saw her using the cell phone and that’s when he tried to steal the device, put her inside the apartment and they got into a fight. In his version he says he gave only one blow,” said the delegate Ricardo Cunha, DEHS holder.

The Civil Police say that the crime was not premeditated and that Caio tried to go to other apartments before meeting Silvanilde.

“It was a crime of opportunity, he doesn’t know his daughter or son-in-law, obviously this is also being investigated, but at this moment we give this crime as elucidated,” says delegate. “What we noticed is that he didn’t go to only one apartment. When entering the elevator he squeezes several floors, including went to the 15th before going on the 14th, where is the apartment of the server,” she explains.

The adjunct deputy DEHS and coordinator of the Nucleus for Combating Feminicide, Marilia Campelo, says that the suspect did not work at the site. “He did not work in this condo, he was to give support, because that day was happening two parties in place, then they needed support and arrived at the condo around 14h “, explains.

No ordering

The delegates rule out the possibility that the crime had a mastermind, and work with Caio’s version, who claims to have committed the crime alone.

“All the information we have collected at this moment leads us to a single author, which is him, and in his statement he made it clear that there was no mastermind. And from the images of the elevators we noticed that his behavior was consistent with someone who was under the influence of drugs,” they say.

The arrest

“The arrest occurred in the Coroado neighborhood, at the residence where he lives. He didn’t show any reaction during the approach, at first he denied it, but at the police station he confessed and showed regret”, according to the police officers, Caio seemed calm and when he arrived at the police station he apologized for the crime.

According to the statement, Caio stole the phone after committing the crime and near the time of the shift change, around 18h, hid the shirt soiled with blood, walked to a gas station, took a car by application back home and threw the phone away, near a supermarket in the neighborhood Ponta Negra.

The police say that anyone who has possession of the phone can be arrested for the crime of receiving and asks that anyone who has possession of it, to seek the Civil Police and return the device.