Surveillance footage shows moment fugitive TV producer attempts to sell car belonging to actor friend he ‘killed and buried’ under Rio de Janeiro property
- Bruno de Souza tried on three occasions to sell a SUV belonging to his actor friend, Jefferson Machado, after he reportedly killed him in January
- De Souza, who also tried to sell the actor’s home, has been charged with murder and concealment of a corpse, but remained on the run as of Monday
- Rio de Janeiro police said de Souza planned Machado’s killing in advance after the actor had discovered that he has been lied to about getting a soap opera role
A fugitive television producer attempted to sell his friend’s vehicle after he had allegedly strangled and buried him under a Rio de Janeiro property, a newly released surveillance video shows.
The footage shows Bruno de Souza driving away from a car dealership that he visited following the murder of actor Jefferson Machado, 44, in late January, Brazilian news magazine Fantastico revealed Sunday.
De Souza, who is facing homicide and concealment of a corpse charges, visited two other dealerships, where he was turned away because he was missing the title.
Authorities believe de Souza may have fled Brazil as police searched for him because he still was in possession of a passport issued by Portugal.
Surveillance video camera captured Bruno de Souza (circled) visiting a Rio de Janeiro car dealership where he attempted to sell a SUV owned by his actor friend, Jefferson Machado, who he allegedly murdered on January 23. Brazilian authorities have accused him with the murder of Machado
Bruno de Souza (pictured) has been charged for the murder of his actor friend, Jefferson Machado, who police say lied to the victim about securing him a soap opera acting role with TV Globo, the network that fired him in 2018
Rio de Janeiro investigators also found that de Souza tried to sell Machado’s house for 50 percent of what it is worth. The home is located in the neighborhood of Campo Grande, the same one where on May 22 authorities discovered his body inside a wooden trunk that was buried six feet under an outhouse’s concrete floor.
Machado’s body was found burned in the trunk. His hands and feet were tied and a telephone wire was found wrapped around his neck.
Police reports obtained by Fantastico indicate Machado was the suspect’s ‘perfect victim’ because his entire family lived in his native state of Santa Catarina and his residence was located in a secluded area of Rio de Janeiro.
De Souza, on one occasion, pretended to be Machado and ordered a taxi that transported the victim’s eight dogs to the home of Jeander da Silva, a male prostitute who was taken into custody Friday for his role in the crime.
Da Silva received multiple complaints over the presence of the pets and released them all to the street. Six were recovered and two died.
Jeander da Silva (pictured) told Rio de Janeiro police that Jefferson Machado was strangled by victim’s fugitive friend, Bruno de Souza, who wrapped a telephone wire around the victim’s neck after drugging his drink
Brazilian actor was found dead inside a wooden trunk that was discovered buried six feet under an outhouse in Rio de Janeiro on May 22
The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police said Machado’s killing was premeditated, pointing out that de Souza had planned the killing a month in advance.
‘Jeff was the perfect victim for anyone to obtain economic advantages to his detriment, since he was a young man who had no family members in the city of Rio de Janeiro, who lived alone in a property located in a remote location without having a steady job,’ the police report showed.
Machado met de Souza through a dating app in 2020 and last year reached out for help in landing an acting role on an upcoming soap opera on TV Globo – the network fired de Souza in 2018.
As part of his willingness to assist Machado, de Souza requested around $5,000, which were spread out over four payments.
Authorities said Machado eventually learned that it was all a scam, which led to de Souza plotting the gruesome murder.
Brazilian actor Jefferson Machado was an avid animal lover and owned eight dogs.
Investigators found that de Souza and da Silva visited Machado’s home on January 23 – the day killing took place.
Da Silva told police that de Souza placed a substance in the victim’s drink and used a telephone wire to strangle him. The suspects placed the chest in the vehicle’s trunk and drove it to the property that de Souza had rented in November 2022 to carry out the killing.
De Souza appeared before the police on January 27 to report that Machado had disappeared. When questioned why he had the actor’s keys to his car and home, de Souza said the victim had left them with him because he had traveled to São Paulo for a job interview.
Machado was officially declared a missing person on February 9.
‘He already suspected that something was wrong because of excuses that Bruno gave him,’ family lawyer Jairo Malgahães said. ‘He expressed these suspicions in audios for the family. But everything leads to believe that he died without being sure, believing that he had chances, yes, participate in a soap opera.’
Source: Read Full Article
