A 21-year-old man allegedly stabbed his own mum to death “in a black magic ritual” and severed her hand to use her fingerprints to withdraw cash.
The police were called to a property on Saturday (20 Apr) following reports that a woman was dead on the premises.
Officers found the body of Sandra Maria dos Santos Carvalho in an advanced state of decomposition in the garden.
She had stab wounds on her neck and was missing one hand.
There were no signs of a struggle on the 58-year-old’s body and it was not possible to determine when she was killed.
Her son, José Natan dos Santos Carvalho, was arrested at the scene.
In his statement to the police, he reportedly said that he had fatally stabbed his mother in the neck in a “black magic ritual.”
He claimed that his mother had previously performed a black magic ritual against him and that he had killed her in revenge.
Jose reportedly did not reveal the date of the crime in Salvador, Brazil.
He also was said to have told the police that he had severed his dead mother’s hand to use her fingerprints to withdraw cash.
It is not clear whether he actually made any withdrawals.
After a custody hearing yesterday (22 Apr), José was jailed on remand.
Officers found the knife used in the attack under the kitchen sink.
It was sent for forensic analysis and Sandra’s body was sent for a post-mortem examination, as reported on Need to Know.
José was caught when he went to see his cousin to ask her for money so he could take a trip.
The cousin asked him about his mum but became suspicious when he struggled to reply.
So she went to Sandra’s house, where she noticed a foul smell and called the police.
The investigation is ongoing.
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