Ex-boyfriend who strangled woman and dumped in Sydney river gets 27 YEARS in prison after making chilling murder confession in Brazilian court
- Mario Marcelo Santoro has admitted to killing Cecilia Haddad
- Haddad’s body found in river in 2018
The Brazilian ex-boyfriend of a woman who was dumped in a Sydney river five years ago has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for her murder – hours after she confessed to the gruesome murder.
Cecilia Haddad’s body was found on April 29, 2018 by kayakers in the Lane Cove River, north of the city.
The group that made the gruesome discovery said in 2018 that she was weighed down with heavy objects, believed to be gym weights, in the pockets of her khaki cargo pants.
Mario Marcelo Santoro admitted in a Brazilian court, local time, on Wednesday that he was responsible for the 38-year-old’s death and went into disturbing detail about her strangulation.
He confessed to the crime on the second day of the trial, but unlike the Australian court system, the trial had to go ahead and a jury of seven people still had to make a formal decision on a two-day trial.
The jury has found Santoro guilty of the murder of Mrs. Haddad and he now begins his prison sentence in Brazil.
Cecilia Haddad’s body was found on April 29, 2018 in the Lane Cove River
Mario Marcelo Santoro admitted before a Brazilian court (local time) on Wednesday that he was responsible for her death, and went into disturbing details about her strangulation
Santoro was charged with murder in July 2018 and revealed on Wednesday that he had gone to Ms Haddad’s apartment in Ryde without her permission, where the pair then got into an argument.
He told the court he wanted to shut her up and grabbed her by the neck and “squeezed really hard” until she fell into his arms.
‘She fell limp in my arms, I don’t remember if she hit the floor with her head. I desperately picked her up and put her on the couch… She wouldn’t wake up,” he said bursting into tears, as reported by local newspaper Globo.
Ms. Haddad’s mother had to leave the courtroom during Santoro’s chilling confession as her brother sat in the front row shaking his head, Nine News reported.
Santoro burst into tears during his confession and begged for forgiveness
Santoro, who begged Mrs. Haddad’s family for forgiveness, had instructed one of the witnesses, who is his priest, to reveal his confession at the trial.
The trial also included three Australian police officers who were called to testify.
On the day Mrs. Haddad’s body was found, Santoro was seen on CCTV traveling from Sydney to Rio de Janeiro.
Ms Haddad, who lived in Australia for ten years, was reported missing after failing to show up for several appointments.
Two days before her body was found, she had enjoyed a barbecue with friends.
Mrs Haddad lived in Australia for ten years before she was killed
