Brazilian is sentenced to 27 years in prison for killing ex-girlfriend in Australia

By DIANE JEANTET
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A federal court has sentenced Brazilian engineer Mário Marcelo Santoro to 27 years in prison after he confessed to the murder of his ex-girlfriend Cecília Haddad in Australia. Santoro, today in his mid 40s, was convicted of aggravated homicide, asphyxiation, femicide and concealment of a corpse. In April 2018, the body of Haddad, then 38, was found in the Lane Cover river in Sydney, a few miles from her apartment. Australian law enforcement said Haddad had broken up with Santoro, who refused to accept her decision. In his testimony, Santoro admitted to have “grabbed her neck” and “squeezed it really hard” before “she fell limp” in his arms.