In a shocking development of the poisoned cake case in Torres (RS), the Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul revealed that the main target of the suspect, Deise Moura dos Anjos, was her own mother-in-law, Zeli dos Anjos. The reason would be an old hurt related to an amount of R$600 which, despite being paid off in a few days, generated resentment in Deise.
The investigation, named “Operation Acqua Toffana” in reference to an arsenic-based poison used in the 20th century, discovered that the arsenic used in the cake that killed four people and hospitalized two others was originally used in a cake for a meeting of Zeli’s friends . The meeting was cancelled, and the contaminated flour ended up being used in the family’s cake.
The police believe that Zeli was Deise’s main target because her mother-in-law was the only figure present in all cases in which the suspect took poison for the family’s consumption.
Deise Moura dos Anjos has been in pre-trial detention since January 5th for triple double homicide and triple attempted homicide. The investigation shows that Deise researched, purchased and used the poison to commit the crimes. Purchases were made online and delivered by post.
Premeditated crimes and creation of alibis
The delegate responsible for the case, Marcos Veloso, stated that the police have enough evidence to incriminate Deise for the four deaths, including that of his father-in-law, which was confirmed after the body was exhumed. The forensic examination found that the concentration of arsenic in the father-in-law’s stomach was the second highest among the victims, demonstrating intentional poisoning.
Police believe that Deise tried to cover his tracks, erasing research and manipulating the family to divert attention from the investigation. The evidence was found on the suspect’s cell phone, after technical work by PCRS.
After her father-in-law’s death, for example, she tried to convince her family that the cause of the poisoning was a banana taken by her son (her husband), seeking to avoid forensic examination of the body.
Case should change poisoning investigations
The case reignited the debate about the control of toxic substances such as arsenic. The security secretary of Rio Grande do Sul, Sandro Caron, stated that the police will ask the federal government for more stringent measures for access to these products.
During the press conference, Caron stated that the episode involving a cake poisoned with arsenic should change the paradigm of the agency’s investigations, starting from deaths due to poisoning.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police seeking to determine whether Deise attempted to poison people other than those already confirmed.
This content was originally published in Poisoned cake was made for family after mother-in-law’s friends canceled the meeting, police say 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.
