Police arrest suspect in the death of actor Jeff Machado; 2nd suspect remains at large
On Thursday, the Rio de Janeiro Public Ministry requested the temporary arrest of individuals suspected of being responsible for the actor's death. According to the investigation, they managed to take advantage of the moment of intimacy to strangle him.
Actor Jeff Machado - Photo Reproduction/Instagram
The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro arrested on the morning of this Friday (02), Jeander Vinícius da Silva Braga, on the charge of being responsible for the death of actor Jeff Machado, 44 years old. The individual, known as a male prostitute, was captured in Santíssimo, in the west region of the city. On the other hand, Bruno de Souza Rodrigues, Jeff's friend, is still at large and being sought by authorities. Whereabouts Discovery Police agents conducted searches at four addresses in the West Zone, which were associated with the two suspects. When he spotted the awaited ones, Jeander tried to escape, but ended up being stopped.
Arrest warrant
The Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro on Thursday (June 1st) complied with the requests for temporary arrest made by the Civil Police and by the public ministry against Bruno de Souza Rodrigues, aged 37, and Jeander Vinícius da Silva Braga, aged 29. The two suspects were indicted by the Civil Police for triple qualified homicide and corpse concealment.
The arrest warrant for the suspects was based on various contradictions found in the statements given to the police about the time of the crime. Both claim that Jeff was murdered at his home in Guaratiba and attribute the crime to an individual named Marcelo, which the police claim is fictitious and is a strategy invented by the suspects.
Moment of Jeander's arrest - Photo Reproduction / Record TV / TV Globo
The suspects
According to the investigations, Bruno and Jeander had an objective to get financial benefits from the victim, such as the sale of the property and the car. Bruno, artistic producer and friend of the actor, was identified as the main suspect in the death of the actor. According to the data obtained, Bruno rented the property where the body was found and carried out financial transactions on Jeff Machado's account after registering the disappearance at the police station.
Bruno de Souza Rodrigues, already under suspicion in the case, was found in possession of the artist's bank cards, car and house keys, according to Jeff's family. In addition, Bruno was responsible for reporting the actor's disappearance. Jeander Vinicius da Silva Braga, according to the people, maintained a close relationship with the victim. One of the aspects of the investigation indicates that the actor was deceived with the promise to participate in a soap opera.
On February 29, the police received the credit card bill of the actor, referring to the same month. The invoice lists suspicious activity that occurred after January 23rd and beyond, with the following details:
First transaction on 01/23/2023 in the amount of BRL 22;
Second transaction on 01/25/2023 in the amount of BRL 680;
Third transaction on 01/25/2023, divided into two installments of BRL 750 each;
Fourth traded on 01/26/2023, divided into three installments of R$ 1,063.34 each.
The total value of these suspicious activities is BRL 5,392.02.
"We think that this invoice may contain clues that may help the police identify those involved in Jeff's death or bring other important elements to the investigation," said Jairo Magalhães, a lawyer representing the actor's family.
Crime
Actor Jeff Machado, 44, had been missing since January. At the time, he played the role of a philistine soldier in the novel "Kings", broadcast by Record TV. On May 22, his body was discovered buried in a trunk, two meters deep under concrete, in the backyard of a residence in Campo Grande, in the West Zone of Rio. Jeff had his arms tied above his head and had neck injuries. Investigations pointed to the possibility of strangulation as the cause of death, however, due to the advanced stage of paralysis, the autopsy report could not provide an exact definition.
Suspects and trunk where the victim's body was found - Photo Reproduction / internet
Testimonial
In their statement to the police, the suspects admitted their participation in the actor's death, but said they only hid the body. They claimed that someone else was responsible for the murder, a version that was discarded by the police, who are pretty sure they also killed Jeff.
sexual act -Bruno claimed to have recorded an intimate scene on the second floor involving Jeff, Jeander and Marcelo, and then went down to the ground floor. Jeander claimed not to have participated in said scene.
Discovery of death -Bruno claimed not to have witnessed the crime and reported that Marcelo and Jeander went down with Jeff already dead. In turn, Jeander also denied having witnessed the crime and said that he saw Jeff dead when he got out of the shower, before the incident.
Concealment of the corpse -Bruno stated that Jeff's corpse was placed in the actor's trunk after Jeander and Marcelo went downstairs. Jeander declared that he was coerced by Marcelo to empty a trunk in Jeff's room and put the body inside, going downstairs with the box that supposedly contained the militiaman - and that Bruno witnessed this moment.
Exit from the crime scene -Bruno stated that he left the hut while Jeander continued digging. Jeander reported that he and Bruno left together after completing the hole.
The police are aware that it was a mason who concreted the floor. Jeander gave a statement, while Bruno paid three: the first occurred at the 43rd Police Station (Sepetiba) on February 5, referring to the disappearance; the second was at DDPA, as a witness and friend, the next day; and the third was a letter sent by the lawyers.
Defense
During a press conference held on Thursday (1st), Bruno Rodrigues' defense team exposed this narrative, stating that they had no knowledge of their client's possible surrender if there was an arrest warrant. However, they stressed that they cooperated with the investigation and, in addition, revealed to have indicated the place where the actor's body was located.
