A man has been jailed for nearly 20 years after he murdered his girlfriend when she refused to pay off his debt to a loan shark.
The body of Monique Ferreira Costa, 21, was found wrapped in bags and blankets at the bottom of a ravine in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais in February last year, a court heard.
Monique was last seen alive days earlier on CCTV footage, leaving a therapeutic massage clinic with her boyfriend Luiz Gustavo Lopes Silva, 27.
Two days later, Monique contacted her mother saying she was going to the police over "something serious," a court heard. Police told the court that they had suspected Silva when he arrived with Monique's mother to report her missing.
Prosecutors described how Silva had cuts and scratch marks on his forearms and said he had created a bizarre and obviously false alibi for the night Monique died.
In a search of the couple’s shared home, cops found rips in the mattress cover and part of its foam cut out, with some blood stains nearby. Silva had already loaded his suitcases into his car outside, apparently ready for a quick getaway,
Following a trial at Contagem Jury Court, Silva was found guilty of femicide and sentenced to 19 years and six months in prison at a hearing on February 22.
Police spokesperson Alexandre Fonseca later said: "We started interviewing the boyfriend in order to find out Monique's location. And, during the interview, he behaved in a very nervous way, he had bruises and scratches on his arm and forearm."
Fonseca told how Silva had killed Monique when she refused to pay off money he owed to loan sharks. He said: "There was a disagreement between Monique and the suspect in the apartment.
"We have information that the suspect owes money to a loan shark and that Monique had already paid one of those debts and he wanted more money. We think she got tired, wanted to end the relationship and he didn't accept it or, perhaps, he could have taken some more money from her on the 13th, she wanted to report it to the police station and the murder occurred."
It is unclear if Silva plans to appeal the sentence.