Brazilian Footballer Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison For Murder

Bruno Fernandes de Souza(28)who was tipped to play for Brazil at the 2014 World Cup, 

was sentenced to 22 years and three months in prison for the murder of Eliza Samudio, whom he apparently had killed to avoid paying child support after she gave birth to his love child.

Bruno Fernandes is accused of planning Eliza Samudio's abduction and murder with eight others including his wife Dayane, another former lover, a cousin and former policeman Marcos Santos.It has been alleged that he watched as Santos tortured her and then helped him to chop her body.Parts of the woman's corpse are alleged to have been fed to Bruno's pet rottweillers, while the rest was buried in concrete.

Eliza Samudio met Bruno at a footballers' party in May 2009 and fell pregnant by accident, it is claimed.Bruno demanded she have an abortion but she went ahead with the pregnancy, instead insisting that he assume paternity of the child.Before her disappearance on June 4, 2010, Eliza Samudio had approached police claiming she had been held captive by Bruno and his associates, who forced her to take an illegal abortion drug.