Teacher, Held for Stabbing, Burying 21-Year-Old Lover in Garden

A 62-year-old ‘beauty teacher’ was arrested after allegedly stabbing her young boyfriend and burying his body in her garden.

The remains of Alex Sandro da Silva Rocha, 21, were discovered in Bebedouro, Sao Paulo in Brazil last week. The victim was knifed in the chest with scissors, police say. Jussara Luzia Fernandes confessed to killing her partner, Brazilian media reports.

She only became widowed in January when her husband was found dead in the swimming pool at their home. His death was ruled accidental. Now, police have confirmed the death will be investigated by the Civil Police in light of her confession.

Last week, authorities raided the address and questioned the woman, who denied any wrongdoing. However – according to police – the officers noticed a hole had been dug in the back garden, yards from the door. Despite her claiming she had buried her dog, the Fire Department was called and made the harrowing discovery.

Once in custody, the woman admitted an argument with her boyfriend had broken out and she grabbed a pair of scissors to “defend herself” – before stabbing him several times. Police say she hired someone to dig his grave.

Detective Joao Vitor Silverio said Fernandes even enlisted the help of her son to remove the body from inside the house. The teacher is being held in prison, charged with homicide and concealment of a corpse.

The mother of the victim has spoken out, saying her son lived in an abusive relationship and was trying to leave his partner. Ivonete Ribeiro da Silva says he was controlled by Fernandes – and called her a “jealous and possessive woman”. Now she hopes justice will be done.

“Even when he went to the bathroom, the door was open,” she told EPTV in Brazil. “He couldn’t even take his phone because she was there controlling everything. She was aggressive toward him. She had already blocked his entire family. She was racist toward people.

“She plotted my son’s death by drugging him, rendering him powerless. He was a 21-year-old man, 6’2″, and she was in no condition to fight and win. In other words, there was no self-defense. There was no physical altercation,” the victim’s mother told the publication.

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She also accused her daughter-in-law of impersonating her son when she attempted to contact him on the phone. “On Thursday, I thought I was talking to him, but it was already her pretending to be him. She said he had left, that he was going to Minas Gerais because he had taken all his things,” she said.

Da Silva says that while her son loved his girlfriend, he intended to leave her because he could “no longer bear living under her control”. She also claimed that during one furious argument, the aesthetics teacher ran over one the man’s feet with her car.