A young woman from Brazil who had relocated to Ireland in pursuit of a “better life” was reportedly strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend during a visit to his apartment, as per court proceedings.
Bruna Fonseca’s lifeless body was discovered at an apartment in Cork city center on January 1, 2023. Miller Pacheco, aged 31 and her former partner, has denied the charge of murdering her. The court was informed by prosecution senior counsel Bernard Condon that Bruna, a 28-year-old university graduate, had emigrated to Ireland in 2022 seeking a fresh start.
According to court testimony, Bruna and Pacheco, who both hailed from the same small town in Brazil, had been in a relationship in 2022 but later separated. Despite this, Bruna seemed to have moved on with her life.
Having arrived in Ireland with her niece Maria in September 2022, Bruna secured a job as a cleaner at Mercy University Hospital in the city. Pacheco followed suit in November 2022 and found employment at a restaurant on McCurtain Street in Cork, as reported by Cork Beo.
The court heard that Bruna had entered a new relationship by this time, though she still had contact with her former partner. Pacheco had reportedly sent numerous text messages to Bruna, with her expressing a desire for him to cease communication by December 20, 2022.
During a Christmas Eve gathering at a cousin’s place in Cork, where both Bruna and her ex attended, Pacheco was described as fixated on her. Subsequently, they were present at the same New Year’s event in the city, and Bruna later went to Pacheco’s apartment around 3am to make a video call back home to see their dog.
Approximately ninety minutes later, residents nearby heard loud screams with one witness describing it as continuous screaming without words. The commotion was audible to patrons at a nearby restaurant and a priest at the Franciscan friary.
The trial was expected to feature a significant amount of evidence including text messages and phone calls. One call at 5.15am on January 1, 2023, saw Pacheco telling a friend, “Forgive me, there is no way back now.” When asked about Bruna, Pacheco showed the friend a woman’s body on the bed beside him.
Following a call from a concerned member of the public, the police arrived at the apartment shortly after 6am on January 1. Two friends of Bruna, who had heard the screams, encountered Pacheco outside the apartment holding a bed sheet which he later discarded in a bin. When questioned about Bruna’s death, Pacheco denied involvement.
Upon revisiting the scene, the authorities found Bruna deceased in the apartment. Pacheco claimed he had experienced an anxiety attack and alleged that Bruna had struck him. He stated that he unintentionally caused her harm while trying to restrain her during a physical altercation, using a technique he had seen on TV involving placing his arm around her neck.
Pacheco insisted that his actions were not intended to harm Bruna and that he viewed their interaction as a fight between two men that he wished to end. A post-mortem examination conducted by Assistant State Pathologist Dr. Margaret Bolster determined that Bruna died from asphyxiation.
The accused, previously an engineer in Brazil before relocating to Ireland, is receiving assistance from a Portuguese interpreter in court. Family members of Bruna have traveled to Ireland for the trial.