Businessman Paulo Cupertino, 54, gained national attention after being accused of triple homicide for the murder of actor and former Chiquititas Rafael Miguel, and his parents, João Alcisio Miguel, 52, and Miriam Selma Miguel, 50. The crime shocked Brazil in 2019. Cupertino remained at large for almost three years .
The reason for the crime was Cupertino’s disagreement with his daughter, Isabela Tibcherani’s relationship with the actor. The triple murder took place in the South Zone of São Paulo, in the Pedreira neighborhood, when Rafael and his family went to Isabela’s house to talk to the young woman’s parents about their relationship. .
Cupertino, armed, reacted violently, according to witnesses, and shot the three victims, totaling 13 shots fired. After the crime, he fled and remained at large for almost three years.
After killing his son-in-law, he became one of the most wanted criminals in the country and was even on the Interpol list . He was captured by the police in May 2022. During this period, he used false identities and hid in several cities in Brazil. After the capture, Cupertino remained cool and denied responsibility for the murders, according to reports.
However, the evidence presented by the prosecution, including testimonies and material evidence, was overwhelming, leading to the temporary arrest of the suspect.
The crime that stunned the country, after five years, finally had its trial scheduled for the 10th, when the case goes to the Popular Jury.
Paulo Cupertino will be tried for triple qualified homicide. The prosecution argues that the crime was premeditated and motivated by Cupertino’s non-compliance with his daughter’s relationship with Rafael Miguel. The defense, in turn, tries to reduce the seriousness of the accusations.
During the pursuit in Cupertino, police monitored the wake of the suspect’s mother. Searches were also carried out in Mato Grosso do Sul, where he allegedly hid for a while. Even escaping in a truck loaded with watermelons .
Cupertino’s first steps in 2019, after the crime, were identified by investigations. “The incident happened on Sunday. He goes to São Roque in the early hours of the morning and, on Tuesday, to Campinas. From there, you can catch a bus and go to Ponta Porã”, pointed out Ivalda Aleixo, the delegate responsible for the capture of Cupertino, after the capture of the suspect in 2022.
In the investigation trail, evidence pointed to him working in Paraguay while he was on the run, using an ID he obtained in the interior of Paraná with a false birth certificate.
The search ended when Cupertino was captured in a hotel in the South Zone of São Paulo, following anonymous complaints. In a letter from the accused that the CNN had access, he claims impartiality of the media and justice. “Well before my arrest I have been accused, massacred and persecuted in ways and with information that is completely inappropriate and false, “axims” (sic) and assumptions”, says Cupertino.
This content was originally published in SP’s Most Wanted and Interpol list: who is Paulo Cupertino? on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
