The Criminal Court in the center of the city of Cork, in Ireland, sentenced this Friday, the 23rd, Brazilian Miller Pacheco, aged 32, to life imprisonment for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, also Brazilian Bruna Fonseca, on January 1, 2023.
Miller killed Bruna in the apartment where he lived by strangulation. During the trial, he accepted the sentence and apologized to Bruna’s family, according to the Irish newspaper The Journal. Irish legislation provides that a conviction for murder must result in a life sentence.
Bruna and Miller were born in the city of Formiga, in Minas Gerais, and dated for five years, until November 2022. Bruna, who was 28 years old and a librarian, had moved to Ireland in September 2022 with a younger niece. Miller arrived in the European country in November and, a few days later, their relationship ended.
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According to Judge Siobhan Lankford, Bruna recorded a conversation with Miller in which she said that she was not a trophy, that she had her own life and that no one but herself could decide what to do. For Lankford, Bruna was an “exceptional young woman” and a “complete human being”.
The jury took just one hour and two minutes to reach a guilty verdict for Miller. At the end of the hearing, defense lawyer Ray Boland said he would not appeal the decision. He stated that his client wanted to express his remorse for the “devastation” caused to Bruna’s family.
Bruna’s older sisters, Izabel and Fernanda, her cousin, Marcel, and niece, Maria, were present at the hearing wearing t-shirts with the victim’s image.
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According to the The JournalIzabel stated that the investigation made it clear that Bruna was not to blame for what had occurred, with the jury rejecting Miller’s version that he had strangled her to prevent her from hitting him. She emphasized that Bruna was not a number, but a person with dreams, plans, laughter and a whole life ahead of her.
In statements to the police, Miller said that he had immobilized Bruna with a chokehold on her neck, a movement he had “seen on TV”. The jury unanimously rejected the explanation.
Bruna had gone to a New Year’s Eve party at the Oyster Tavern in Cork. In a text message, she told Miller she just wanted to “dance and have fun.” Her goal, according to her, was to have “peace and tranquility” in life.
Miller would have followed her around the place. He also filmed her kissing another man and sent the video to Brazilian friends. At the end of the night, Bruna agreed to go to his apartment so they could make a video call with relatives in Brazil who were taking care of the dog they had when they were still a couple.
The following morning, paramedics and the police were called to assist Bruna at around 6:30 am. Miller was arrested that same day without bail, finding that Bruna had been strangled and beaten. According to the indictment, residents of the building where the defendant lived reported hearing a woman scream at around 4:15 in the morning.
