Brazilian footballer Bruno jailed for 22 years for murder, feeding ex-girlfriend to dogs

Brazilian footballer Bruno Fernandes de Souza has been jailed for 22 years for ordering the kidnap and murder of his ex-girlfriend.

According to the Daily Mail, Bruno, 28, then had Eliza Samudio, 25, the mother of his baby son, dismembered and fed to his pet Rottweilers.

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He was also found guilty of hiding Samudio's body and kidnapping their son in 2010, reported BBC News. The former goalkeeper admitted to knowing what had happened to Samudio, but denied being responsible. He blamed the two other defendants in the case, his friend Luiz Henrique Ferreira Romão and former police officer Marcos Aparecido dos Santos, for the crimes.

Bruno broke down in court and said that Romão had hired a hitman to kill Samudio, according to 9 News. He said he heard about what had happened to the former model from his younger cousin, Jorge Rosa, who witnessed the killing.

Police allege that Bruno ordered Samudio's murder after she threatened to take legal action that would force him to make child-support payments. While her body has never been recovered, she was said to be strangled, before being cut up and fed to the dogs.

The case has attracted huge media attention in Brazil, BBC noted, where it has been compared to the trial of OJ Simpson.