Law student Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes, 35, became a defendant in São Paulo courts, accused of four qualified homicides by poisoning. The crimes took place between January and May 2025 in Guarulhos and São Paulo, as well as Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro. The Public Prosecutor’s Office states the motive involved asset appropriation and financial rewards, using poison in food and drinks. Ana Paula remains in preventive detention since September, classified as a serial killer by judicial decision.
Investigations reveal that Ana Paula approached victims by feigning friendship or relationships to facilitate the acts. The Guarulhos Prosecutor’s Office filed charges based on ongoing toxicological tests and recovered messages. Three bodies will be exhumed to confirm the presence of lethal substances, such as the pesticide terbufós, known as chumbinho.
Attempted poisoning at university sparks investigations
Guarulhos Civil Police recorded a report in July 2025 of a poisoned cake at a private university. Ana Paula confessed to placing the substance to frame a police officer’s wife with whom she had an extramarital affair.
Delegate Halisson Leite Hideão, from the 1st Police District, stated that the investigation revealed the suspect’s profile as the perpetrator of more serious crimes.
This incident led to connections with the deaths, expanding the scope of investigations to other states.
Involvement of twin sisters and victim’s daughter in crimes
Roberta Cristina Veloso Fernandes, Ana Paula’s 35-year-old twin sister, was arrested in August in São Paulo on suspicion of involvement in the homicides. She rented a property with her sister and called the Military Police in one case to simulate a body discovery.
Michelle Paiva da Silva, 43, daughter of one victim, hired Ana Paula for R$4,000 to poison her father, according to WhatsApp messages. The two met in a law course and used the term “TCC” as a code for payments.
Michelle’s arrest occurred on October 7, 2025, in a joint operation by São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Civil Police at a university entrance in Engenho Novo.
The three women are detained in São Paulo prison units while police investigate possible additional victims elsewhere.
Timeline of deaths attributed to the accused
Marcelo Hari Fonseca, 51, died on January 31, 2025, in Guarulhos. His body was found decomposing in the house where Ana Paula and Roberta lived rent-free; the initial inquiry was closed but reopened, pointing to poisoning in food to seize the property.
Maria Aparecida Rodrigues, 62, died on April 11, 2025, in the same city after consuming coffee and cake offered by Ana Paula, who used a false name. The victim’s daughter identified the suspect in testimony, suggesting a motive to frame an ex-partner.
Neil Corrêa da Silva, a 65-year-old retiree, fell ill on April 26, 2025, in Duque de Caxias after eating a feijoada prepared by Michelle and delivered by Ana Paula. He died hours later in a hospital; the daughter paid for the execution due to family disputes, and the body was exhumed for analysis.
Hayder Mhazres, a 21-year-old Tunisian, died on May 23, 2025, in Brás, São Paulo, during a meeting with Ana Paula, met via a dating app. She falsely claimed pregnancy to extort money and poisoned the young man; his body was repatriated without initial autopsy, but family statements confirm suspicions.
Meticulous preparation with animal testing
Ana Paula confessed to poisoning ten dogs to adjust the dosage and timing of terbufós, aiming to mimic natural causes in the deaths. The substance was found in searches at her Guarulhos residence, along with traces of contaminated food.
Investigators highlight the suspect’s technical knowledge of the pesticide, controlling effects to avoid immediate detection.
Manipulations to mislead police investigations
The accused fabricated threats against herself in messages to blame third parties, such as former lover, military police officer Diego Sakaguchi Ferreira. She sent fake texts creating a nonexistent love triangle in one case.
At Marcelo’s property, she blocked family access the day after the death, claiming rent payment without proof, and stayed there until her arrest.
Experts recovered digital evidence showing coldness in communications with her sister about the acts.
Exhumations and ongoing toxicological tests
The bodies of Marcelo, Maria Aparecida, and Neil will be exhumed for tests to confirm the poison used in the crimes. Preliminary reports indicate no external violence, reinforcing the insidious method.
The Guarulhos Court centralized the cases due to evidential connections, despite varying locations, to expedite the trial.
Homicide divisions in Baixada Fluminense and São Paulo exchange information to map the suspect’s network of contacts.
Victim profiles and closeness to the accused
- Marcelo Hari Fonseca worked as an informal landlord and allowed the accused to live rent-free, who planned to take the property after the crime.
- Maria Aparecida had a recent friendship with Ana Paula, invited for a fatal meal at the house shared with Roberta.
- Neil Corrêa had conflicts with his daughter Michelle, who funded the poisoning via a trip from Guarulhos to Rio.
- Hayder Mhazres, a foreign student, began a brief relationship with the suspect, exploited for extortion before his death.
These ties facilitated access to the victims, according to the investigation.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office qualifies the homicides as driven by base motives, use of poison, and impossibility of defense, with a request for life imprisonment under discussion. The defenses have not been reached for comment so far.
