MP denounces ex-boss and PM for torture against maid in MA The Public Ministry of Maranhão (MP-MA) denounced businesswoman Carolina Sthela Ferreira dos Anjos and military police officer Michael Bruno Lopes Santos for the crimes of attempted qualified murder, aggravated torture and attempted abortion against maid Samara Regina Dutra Soares, aged 19, who was five months pregnant at the time of the attacks. According to the complaint, Samara was subjected to a session of physical and psychological torture on April 17 of this year, after being falsely accused of stealing a ring valued at R$5,000 from the house where she worked, in Paço do Lumiar, in the Metropolitan Region of São Luís. The investigation concluded, however, that the jewelry had never been stolen. The ring was later found in a laundry basket at the residence. In audios seized during the investigation, Carolina admits to the attacks. In one of the recordings, she states that she beat "this woman so much that to this day my hand is swollen here." Elsewhere, he says that the victim "wasn't even supposed to come out alive." According to the investigation, Samara was hit with rifle butts, dragged by her hair and received punches and slaps. According to the MP-MA, the accused acted with the intention of killing the young woman and took the risk of causing the pregnancy to be terminated. Carolina Sthela was preventively arrested in Piauí, when she tried to flee to another state. Since then, she has been held in custody at the Pedrinhas Penitentiary Complex, in São Luís. Michael Bruno is also in preventive custody, after reporting himself to the Civil Police. Civil Police investigations and the complaint filed by the Public Ministry indicate that the businesswoman and the military police officer acted together in the attacks. Carolina Sthela's defense informed that it was aware of the complaint presented by the Public Ministry of Maranhão and that it respects the institution's position. He also said that he will conduct the businesswoman's defense in accordance with the legal techniques that the case requires. The report was unable to contact the defense of military police officer Michael Bruno Lopes Santos. See below who the defendants are and what the investigation attributes to each of them. MP-MA denounces ex-boss and PM for attempted murder, torture and attempted abortion against a domestic worker Reproduction/TV Mirante Who is Carolina Sthela Ferreira dos Anjos PMs who responded to the case of a boss who attacked a domestic worker are removed; The attacker said she was not taken to the police station because she knew a police officer. Reproduction/Social media Carolina Sthela works as a businesswoman in the field of administrative, financial and organizational management consultancy. After the repercussions of the case, she and her husband deactivated their personal profiles and company pages on social media. According to data from the Federal Revenue, Carolina Sthela was a partner in two companies. One of them, managed in partnership with her husband, operated as a consultancy franchise in administrative, financial and organizational management, offering recruitment and selection services, business consultancy and financial advice. The other company, registered only in her name, was in the food sector. Despite this, its main registered activity was the retail trade of toys and recreational items. The two companies had their CNPJs considered unfit in 2024 due to omission of tax declarations. Despite this, Carolina and her husband continue to offer financial consulting services as franchisees. Conviction for embezzlement Before working as a businesswoman, Carolina worked at a swimming school belonging to a sister, working as a human resources assistant and secretary. She and her husband were convicted of fraudulently embezzling more than R$20,000 from the company. According to the process, the money was appropriated through the receipt of monthly payments in personal accounts between December 2020 and March 2021. More than ten processes Businesswoman Carolina Sthela Ferreira dos Anjos arrives in São Luís, after being arrested in Piauí. Reproduction/Juvêncio Martins According to the Civil Police, Carolina faces more than ten legal proceedings. In one of them, she was convicted of slander after falsely accusing a former nanny of stealing a gold bracelet. The sentence of six months in open prison was replaced by provision of services to the community, in addition to the payment of R$4,000 for moral damages. Former nanny Sandila Souza stated that she started working at the residence at the age of 17 and that payments were made through third-party accounts, never directly by her boss. According to her, the compensation determined by the Court has not yet been paid. What the investigation attributes to the businesswoman regarding the case of aggression against a domestic worker According to the Public Ministry, Carolina Sthela was mainly responsible for the physical attacks against Samara. The complaint states that, even after the ring was found inside the residence, the businesswoman continued to beat the domestic worker. According to the investigation, she threw punches, slaps and butts, dragged the victim by the hair and even put a firearm in the young woman's mouth during the threats. According to the MP-MA, Michael Bruno kept Samara immobilized while Carolina continued the attacks. The audios seized during the investigation are considered one of the main pieces of evidence for the prosecution. In them, Carolina reports the attacks and states that she beat the maid so much that her hand was swollen. At another point, he says that the victim "wasn't even supposed to come out alive", a statement used by the Public Prosecutor's Office to support the charge of attempted murder. According to the complaint, Samara remained under intense physical and psychological suffering throughout the violent session and, at one point, had to protect her own belly in an attempt to protect the baby from the attacks. MORE layette that costs up to R$3,000 in São Luís Who is Michael Bruno Lopes Santos Michael Bruno Lopes Santos, suspected of participating in the attacks against a maid at the behest of a businesswoman Reproduction/TV Mirante Michael Bruno Lopes Santos is a military police officer from Maranhão, assigned to the 21st Military Police Battalion (21st BPM). He was preventively arrested after presenting himself to the Civil Police, after being identified by investigations as one of the participants in the attacks against Samara. In addition to the criminal investigation, the police officer also began to respond to administrative disciplinary proceedings initiated by the Military Police of Maranhão (PM-MA). In a statement, the corporation informed that it is following the case and stated that it does not condone misconduct committed by its members. What the investigation attributes to the military police officer According to the Public Ministry, Michael Bruno participated directly in the torture session imposed on the victim. The complaint states that the police officer remained armed throughout the action and used the weapon to intimidate Samara. Still according to the MP-MA, he shot the young woman in the forehead, dragged the victim by her hair and forced her to remain kneeling at gunpoint while she suffered physical and psychological attacks. Investigations also indicate that Michael kept Samara immobilized so that Carolina could continue the attacks. During this period, according to the Civil Police, the victim was threatened with death and coerced into confessing to a theft he had not committed. For the Public Prosecutor's Office, the police officer's actions were decisive in preventing any possibility of a reaction from the young woman, as he used a firearm to intimidate her throughout the sequence of violence. The State Secretariat for Public Security (SSP-MA) reported that, at the administrative level, a Military Police Inquiry (IPM) was opened to investigate the police officer's conduct. According to the ministry, the procedure is being processed within legal deadlines and the adoption of any administrative measures will depend on the conclusions of the investigation. Evidence gathered by the investigation Carolina Sthela Ferreira dos Anjos was arrested on suspicion of attacking and torturing the pregnant domestic worker Samara Regina, aged 19 Reproduction In addition to the testimony of the victim and witnesses, the Public Prosecutor's Office states that the complaint is supported by forensic examinations, expert reports that pointed out injuries and hearing loss resulting from the attacks, records of Military Police calls by telephone 190 and the audios seized during the investigation. Based on this set of evidence, Carolina Sthela Ferreira dos Anjos and Michael Bruno Lopes Santos were charged with attempted qualified murder, aggravated torture and attempted abortion. The two remain in preventive detention and face criminal action in court. Remember the case Audios reveal suspected assault on the maid in Paço do Lumiar Samara Regina was attacked on April 17, in the house where she worked, in Paço do Lumiar, in the Metropolitan Region of São Luís. According to the maid, she suffered hair pulling, punches and punches and was knocked to the floor. During the attacks, she tried to protect her belly because she was pregnant. According to the statement, the ex-boss accused the young woman of stealing a ring and spent hours looking for the object. The ring was found in a laundry basket. According to the victim, the attacks continued even after the jewelry was found. She also stated that, at one point, she was threatened with death by Carolina Sthela if she reported the case to the police. "It started with hair pulling. I was knocked to the ground and spent most of the time there. There were slaps, punches and punches... it was nonstop. They didn't care," said the young woman. In her statement, the young woman reported that a man, identified by the police as military police officer Michael Bruno Lopes Santos, also participated in the attacks. According to her, he went to the house to intimidate her with violence. The victim described him as "tall", "strong" and "dark". The OAB classified the case as aggravated torture, in addition to bodily harm, threats and slander. Defense claims that businesswoman may have mental disorders Defense says that boss accused of assaults may have psychological disorders Carolina Sthela's lawyer said in an interview with TV Mirante that the businesswoman may have mental disorders. The allegation must be used by the lawyer in the woman's defense. “Carolina, she probably has some psychological disorder, or borderline, or split personality, and this must be taken into account,” said defense lawyer Otoniel D’Oliveira Chagas. The change in the defense strategy comes after the conclusion of reports from the Civil Police Criminalistics Institute, which confirmed that the audios with alleged confessions of attacks against Samara belong to the businesswoman. The police are awaiting the results of the examination on DVR equipment seized from the businesswoman's residence in Paço do Lumiar. The device stores images from internal cameras and can provide visual evidence of the attacks reported by Samara. On Monday (11), the Civil Police interviewed Yuri Silva do Nascimento, the businesswoman's husband. He was released after giving a statement. The police reported that the businesswoman faces more than ten lawsuits. In one of them, in 2024, she was convicted of slander, after falsely accusing a former nanny of stealing a gold bracelet. The six-month open prison sentence was replaced by community service and payment of compensation of R$4,000 for moral damages. Domestic worker received R$750 for a workday of almost 10 hours with an accumulation of duties. The young woman, aged 19, stated that she received R$750 for just over two weeks of work at the businesswoman's house. According to her, she accumulated duties and worked almost 10 hours a day. g1 had access to the young woman's statement, given on May 6th. She detailed the work routine at her ex-boss's house. Among the activities that the young woman had to do were cleaning the house, cooking, washing and ironing clothes, as well as taking care of a six-year-old child, her ex-boss's son. Payment was made in installments, through transfers on behalf of third parties. According to the victim, the first contact with the businesswoman occurred via a messaging app, in early April. At the time, a month of work was offered and a meeting was arranged at the residence. The young woman said she started working without agreeing on her salary, the goal was to try to buy the baby's layette. According to her, the workday was from Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 7pm, with just 30 minutes break. PMs are investigated for not taking a businesswoman to the police station after a complaint. Investigation investigates conduct of agents involved in the case. Security camera images show Sergeant Cerqueira inside the house Reproduction/TV Mirante The four military police officers who responded to the incident, identified as Sergeant Cerqueira, Corporal Henrique and soldiers De Sá and Yuri, are under administrative investigation and have been removed from street duty. They are expected to testify this week, but the date has not been announced. The investigation into the agents' conduct began after the release of audio recordings in which the businesswoman stated that she was not arrested in the act because she knew one of the police officers. According to Samara, the police arrived at Carolina's house, spoke briefly with the businesswoman and then took her to the Women's Police Station. TV Mirante had access to images from security cameras near Carolina's house. At around 10:30 am on April 17, the four police officers arrived at the scene. In the images, it is possible to see the moment when Sergeant Cerqueira enters the house. In audios obtained by the investigation, Carolina describes the approach taken by the police officers. In one of the excerpts, she claims to have received instructions from one of the agents not to say that she had attacked the maid. "Come in. I came into the house and he said: 'You can't say that you hit, you can't confess, are you crazy?'", Carolina said in one of the audios, referring to the sergeant. Still according to the victim, after the approach, the agents repeatedly asked, during the journey to the police station, whether she had stolen the ring. According to the State Secretariat for Public Security of Maranhão, an investigation was opened to investigate their conduct. Infographic - Boss suspected of attacking pregnant employee is transferred to Pedrinhas Penitentiary Arte/g1