A woman accused of poisoning her boyfriend was photographed holding a plate of pudding allegedly laced with drugs and sharing a kiss with him in an elevator.
The drama unfolded when neighbors of Luiz Ormond alerted police about a foul smell coming from his Rio de Janeiro home. Authorities found him dead and in an advanced state of decomposition, The Mirror reports.
Despite an autopsy, the cause of death remained a mystery, though chocolate was discovered in his digestive tract. Police suspect Luiz was poisoned by his girlfriend, Júlia Cathermol, who was spotted in an elevator with him, carrying a plate of brigadeiros – a beloved Brazilian dessert.
Police statements reveal that Suyany Breschak, currently in custody, is named as Cathermol’s accomplice. Breschak reportedly confessed that Cathermol had poisoned the dessert with 50 crushed tablets of a morphine-containing drug, purchased from a pharmacy nine days earlier.
Ormond’s body was found on the floor, surrounded by several fans pointed toward an open window. Police believe Cathermol stayed with the body over the weekend, leaving on Monday morning with suitcases in tow.
A doorman told police that Luiz appeared to be under the influence of some medication or drug. He added that Cathermol seemed "nervous" when he last saw her and claimed she said her boyfriend was "sick in bed at home."
Delegate Marcos Buss commented via The Mirror, “It is an aberrant case because it shows extreme coldness. She would have remained inside the victim's apartment, with the corpse, for around three or four days. There she would have slept next to the corpse, fed herself, she would have even gone down to the gym, exercised, and returned to the apartment where the corpse was located.”
Police in Rio de Janeiro are on the hunt for the woman, who is accused of poisoning her boyfriend just days after they were seen on camera kissing in an elevator.
Ormond’s decomposing body was found on a living room sofa with a head injury. Two fans were left on, one facing an open window, and a pack of morphine was found.
Neighbors last saw Ormond walking with Cathermol by the building pool on May 17. Surveillance footage from the elevator showed Ormond holding a plate, believed to be the poisoned brigadeiros, while Cathermol carried a bottle. The couple shared a kiss before engaging in small talk with a woman who entered the elevator until they got off.
A second camera captured Cathermol leaving the gym and returning to the apartment on May 19.
On Wednesday, authorities arrested Suyane Breschak, a friend of Cathermol, for allegedly helping dispose of Ormond’s belongings, including a car sold for $14,000, according to Brazilian news outlet G1.
Breschak told investigators that Cathermol used the money to pay off a $115,000 debt and had been paying her around $960 a month. She also revealed that Cathermol worked as a prostitute and hired Breschak as a 'spiritual mentor' to conceal her true occupation from former boyfriends and family.
Breschak learned of Ormond’s death through a call from Cathermol, who said she had wrapped his body in bed sheets and blankets and turned on the fans because "it was really stinking" in the apartment. She added that Cathermol used bleach to clean the apartment and that vultures were appearing by the window.
A man who bought the vehicle in Cabo Frio was interviewed by police and showed a handwritten note as proof of ownership. He was found with Ormond’s laptop and cellphone and was arrested for possession of stolen property.
