College professor found decapitated and dismembered

PORTO VELHO, RONDÔNIA, BRAZIL – MARCH 18, 2016 Elessandro Milan was a 34-year-old biology professor from the Brazilian city of Porto Velho. He worked at FIMCA, where he taught students in several fields, and according to colleagues and students, he was a popular and respected teacher. At the time of his death, he was also engaged.

During the night of March 18-19, 2016, a brutal murder occurred at his residence in the Aquarius residential complex in the Aponiã neighborhood. When police arrived at the scene, they found bloodstains and barefoot footprints inside the house. Elessandro had been murdered, and his body was subsequently dismembered. His head had been severed from his body, and the perpetrator had also cut off both of his arms. An instrument that may have been used to dismember the body was also found at the scene.

Police were alerted to the case by a neighbor who noticed suspicious circumstances around Elessandro’s home and bloodstains leading toward the porch. Investigators initially believed that more than one person may have been involved in the crime. Elessandro’s car also raised suspicions, as someone attempted to drive away in it after the murder. The attempt ended in a crash, and the vehicle was abandoned.

The investigation initially made little progress. Detectives later discovered that at least two other people had been inside the house at the time of the murder. They investigated several theories and questioned people who might have had information about the professor’s final hours.

A major breakthrough came in May 2018, more than two years after the murder. Police first detained Cesar Lopes de Souza, who denied involvement in the killing but provided information that led investigators to Ériton Fábio Coelho Macedo. He was subsequently arrested.

Ériton confessed to the murder. According to his statement, he met Elessandro at a bar, and they later continued drinking alcohol together at the professor’s home. Ériton claimed that Elessandro later drugged him and that, after waking up, he believed the professor was trying to suffocate him. During the ensuing struggle, he attacked and killed him. He then dismembered the body and attempted to flee the scene in the victim’s car.

However, the investigation revealed even more brutal circumstances. According to the prosecution, Elessandro was attacked with a knife before his death, and the perpetrator allegedly injured his eyes before decapitating him and dismembering his body. He then attempted to hide the body parts. Investigators recovered important forensic evidence, and DNA and other evidence ultimately helped link Ériton to the crime scene.

The trial began in October 2018. Ériton Fábio Coelho Macedo was charged with murder under exceptionally cruel circumstances and with additional offenses related to the handling of the victim’s body. A jury found him guilty, and the court sentenced him to 13 years and 2 months in prison.

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