Pastor husband's agonizing death after evil mom of 55 orders 30-bullet hitMaria
Flordelis Souza had three biological children when entering the relationship (Image: VANDERLEI ALMEIDA, AFP via Getty Images)
A mother of 55 children, who had built a remarkable career as both a gospel singer and congresswoman, orchestrated her husband's brutal murder in a notorious crime that drew in multiple generations of her family.
Flordelis Souza first began performing in churches in the early 1990s in her local community of Jacarezinho, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. At the time a mother of three, she met Anderson do Carmo, who was 16 years her junior, in 1993.
The teenage boy had initially begun dating her daughter, Simone.
By 1998, that relationship had long since ended, and Flordelis went on to marry the then-21-year-old Anderson. Together, the couple founded their own congregation, the Ministry of Flordelis, and gained widespread recognition for welcoming children in need into their home - with their vast family, comprising both biological and adopted children, eventually totaling 55.
The couple had 55 children (Image: Getty)
Over time, Flordelis' public profile continued to soar. She took on responsibility for nine churches, released best-selling gospel albums, and successfully ran for a congressional seat in 2018, securing her position as the most-voted candidate in the state of Rio, reports the Daily Star.
For years, the family flourished amid fame and financial prosperity - until circumstances took a dramatic turn. Investigators allege that Flordelis wanted her husband eliminated due to his iron-fisted control over the family's finances.
Beginning in mid-2018, she embarked on a campaign to poison him, making at least six attempts on his life by lacing his food and beverages with arsenic and cyanide. Each time, he was hospitalized but managed to survive.
She subsequently contracted a gunman to shoot him, but Anderson inadvertently switched vehicles, throwing off the would-be assassin.
Ultimately, in June 2019, Anderson, then 42, was ambushed and fatally shot at dawn in his home's garage as he and his wife returned from a night out. The coroner's report revealed that Do Carmo's body was hit by over 30 bullet holes, with a heavy concentration of bullets targeted directly at his pelvic and groin region.
Prosecutors stated he "suffered terribly" before he died.
Hours after the killing, a tearful Flordelis reported her husband's death, claiming he had been the victim of a robbery - a story that failed to convince investigators.
Within days, her eldest biological son Flavio was arrested at his stepfather's wake on an unrelated domestic violence warrant, while his adopted brother Lucas was arrested the same day for purchasing the pistol used in the killing, which had been discovered in Flavio's bedroom. Two days later, the eldest child confessed to the murder.
Five members of the family were tried for the crime (Image: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil)
Although both sons faced charges, detectives remained convinced that other family members had orchestrated the crime. Following further investigation in August 2020, Flordelis was accused of masterminding the murder, along with seven of her children, a granddaughter, and two people outside the family.
Her attorney maintained her innocence and described the investigation's conclusion as a "great mistake" while the lead investigator characterized the situation as "not a family but a criminal organisation."
Flavio was handed a 33-year sentence for firing the fatal shot, while Lucas was given seven years, which was reduced due to his cooperation with authorities.
The alleged mastermind faced trial in 2022, with her legal team contending she had no knowledge of the crime, asserting it was committed by family members attempting to shield her from supposed physical and sexual abuse by her husband.
Flordelis insisted she had nothing to do with it (Image: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil)
The judge dismissed that argument, determining she orchestrated a killing designed to appear as a botched robbery.
Flordelis, 61, was handed a sentence of 50 years and 28 days in prison, found guilty of the recent crime in addition to the poisoning attempts. Her daughter Simone Rodrigues was given 31 years, four months and 20 days for her involvement in the initial attempted poisonings.
Two additional children and a granddaughter were cleared of charges.
She has continued to assert her innocence, stating to The Guardian following the sentencing: "They say it was about power and money. What power? I'm the congresswoman. I'm the gospel singer with thousands of followers... So what power did I seek to steal from my husband? And what money? I was the one who lost the most here - it was me!".
Source: Crime
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