A brutal tragedy shook the South Zone of the capital of São Paulo after a 24-year-old man confessed to the murder of his own daughters, two children aged just three and five. The crime occurred as an extreme form of retaliation against the girls’ mother, who had already faced a long history of persecution and intimidation since the end of the marital relationship. Breno de Souza Castro sought out the police authorities to admit responsibility for the double homicide, revealing a fatal outcome for a family dynamic marked by abuses not formally reported. Public security experts classify this type of crime as vicarious violence, when the aggressor uses his children to cause the greatest possible suffering to his ex-partner.
History of abuse and worsening of intimidation after the couple’s separation
The relationship between the perpetrator of the crime and the victims’ mother lasted around eight years, during which time the relationship deteriorated due to constant episodes of physical aggression and betrayal by the man. The definitive break occurred in March, but the decision to end the union did not bring peace to the woman. Without official records of previous police reports, the attacker found space to intensify the psychological terror, monitoring his ex-wife’s steps and uttering continuous threats.
The absence of formal protective measures is a common scenario in cases of domestic violence, often motivated by fear of reprisals or emotional dependence. In the case of this family, the mother’s attempt to establish limits came up against the need to maintain the children’s paternal bond. To try to ensure her own safety, she adopted distancing strategies, avoiding any visual or verbal contact with her ex-husband during custody changes on weekends.
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Weekend dynamics and the false promise of a cultural tour
The shared care routine began on August 8, 2026, when the mother took the girls to the residence of her ex-mother-in-law, who used to help raise her granddaughters. The meeting point for handing over the children was strictly planned to take place in a neutral location, precisely because the father lived on the upper floor of the same land. This improvised security logistics initially worked, until the man decided to change his plans the next day, using an apparently harmless pretext to remove his daughters from their grandmother’s supervision.
On August 9, 2026, the situation took a dark turn shortly after the mother published a photograph on her social networks, where she appeared in a moment of leisure alongside friends. The image served as a trigger for her ex-partner’s unhealthy jealousy, who immediately sent text messages stating that she would never hug her daughters again. To get the children out of the house, he invented an educational visit to the Ipiranga Museum, one of the city’s most traditional tourist attractions, deceiving family members who were present.
- The attacker views his ex-wife’s publication in moments of relaxation with his circle of friends.
- Intimidating messages are sent to the mother’s cell phone, decreeing the end of contact with the children.
- The man removes the girls from their paternal grandmother’s house under the false excuse of a trip to the Ipiranga Museum.
- Family members question the delay in returning, at which point the perpetrator confesses to the murder-suicide plan.
Despair gripped the family as hours began to pass without any sign of the children or vehicle returning. A close relative decided to question the man through a messaging app, demanding explanations about the girls’ whereabouts. The response he received was terrifying: he openly declared that he would execute his daughters and take his own life shortly afterwards, triggering a night of anguish and incessant searches throughout the metropolitan region.
Dawn of searches and confession of the crime to the police authorities
Completely devastated by her ex-husband’s statements, the mother returned to her ex-mother-in-law’s house, where she sought emotional support while waiting for any update. Throughout the night, search teams and family members tried to retrace the vehicle’s possible routes, but were unsuccessful in locating the man’s whereabouts. The tension was only broken on the morning of August 9, 2026, when the author himself decided to interrupt his escape and voluntarily present himself to the state security forces.
The individual walked to the reception of the 48th Police District, located in the Cidade Dutra neighborhood, and reported to the officers on duty that he had completed the threats made hours before. Military police officers were immediately called to verify the veracity of the confession, moving vehicles to the exact address provided by the confessed killer. The speed in which the teams moved was intended to attempt a rescue, but the scenario found confirmed the worst possible outcome for the incident.
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Location of the victims and the legal consequences of the double homicide
The vehicles arrived at Rua Luiz Supertti, a road located in Jardim Guanabara, also in the South Zone of São Paulo, where the car was parked. Inside the car, security agents found the bodies of the two children with no vital signs, immediately isolating the area for technical expertise. Preliminary examinations recorded in the police report found that the death was caused by mechanical asphyxiation, highlighting the cruelty of the act committed against completely defenseless victims.
The investigations carried out by the Civil Police clearly indicate that the feeling of possession and uncontrolled jealousy regarding the ex-partner’s new life were the driving forces behind the execution of the crime. Breno was arrested in flagrante delicto, responding to charges of qualified homicide and infractions covered by the domestic violence law. The entire legal procedure and formalization of the capture took place on the premises of the 101st Police District, located in Jardim das Imbuias, which will be responsible for concluding the investigation.
The suspect remains at the disposal of the São Paulo State Court, awaiting the custody hearing that will determine his transfer to the prison system. Until the closing of this report, no legal representative or defense lawyer had publicly spoken out to present the accused’s version or comment on the legal strategies that will be adopted. The case once again raises the urgent debate about the protection of women and children in homes broken by structural violence.