You don't usually expect a law student to be at the center of a quadruple homicide investigation. It sounds like a bad Netflix plot, right? But for the residents of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the story of Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes is terrifyingly real.
She wasn't some shadowy figure lurking in alleys. She was a 36-year-old mother, a student of the law, and someone who—by all accounts—seemed perfectly normal on the surface. That is until the bodies started showing up. Or rather, until they were found decomposing in her own home. Honestly, the details coming out of the Brazilian police investigations are enough to make anyone lock their doors twice tonight.
The Crimes that Shocked Brazil
The timeline of what happened with Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes is a messy, dark spiral that took place over just five months in 2025. We aren't talking about a single heat-of-the-moment mistake. We’re talking about a calculated spree.
It started in January with her landlord, Marcelo Hari Fonseca. Apparently, there was an argument. Instead of moving out or settling the dispute, police say she stabbed him to death. The truly bizarre part? She didn't run. She stayed in the house. She allegedly covered the door with cloth to hide the sight from her son and cousin, leaving the body to rot in a room for days. When the smell became unbearable, she didn't call the police. She burned the sofa to "clean" the air.
A Trail of Poison
If the first murder was brutal and physical, the ones that followed were "cunning," a word used by Police Chief Harrison Ideiao. Ana Paula seemingly moved away from the blade and toward something much more silent: poison.
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- The Dating App Victim: In April, she met Maria Aparecida Rodrigues. After a coffee at Ana Paula’s home, Maria was dead. Investigators found a forged note and a poisoned cake, an attempt by Ana Paula to frame Maria's ex-boyfriend for the crime.
- The Contract Killing: This is where it gets even weirder. She allegedly poisoned 65-year-old Neil Coelho da Silva using a stew. The kicker? Police believe she was hired by the victim’s own daughter, Michel Paiva da Silva, for the sum of 4,000 reais.
- The Ex-Partner: Then there was Haider Mazres, a 21-year-old Tunisian man. She reportedly lured him by faking a pregnancy and then served him a lethal milkshake.
It’s a lot to take in. You’ve got a mix of passion, money, and what the police describe as a "pleasure in killing."
Testing the Waters
One of the most disturbing details to emerge from the forensic evidence wasn't about the human victims, but what happened before them. Detectives found that Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes allegedly tested her concoctions on ten dogs before she ever used them on a person.
She was essentially "calibrating" her lethality.
The substance used was a banned insecticide, something akin to high-strength rat poison. It’s a cold, clinical approach to murder that has led behavioral analysts at the DHPP (Department of Homicide and Protection of the Person) to classify her as a serial killer. She wasn't just reacting to her life; she was practicing.
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The Twin Sister and the Accomplices
This wasn't a solo act, at least not entirely. The police eventually arrested her twin sister, Roberta Cristina Veloso Fernandes. Why? Because Roberta supposedly gave her sister advice on how much to charge for the "services" and how to stay off the radar.
Imagine that conversation. One sister asking the other how much a life is worth in São Paulo.
Then you have Michel, the daughter of one of the victims, who is also behind bars. It's a web of people who seemingly looked at murder as a transactional tool. The twin sister is even suspected of living in the house while one of the bodies was still there, which is a level of dissociation that's hard to wrap your head around.
Why This Case Matters Now
People often think serial killers have to be these masterminds or obvious monsters. Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes proves that the reality is often much more mundane and, frankly, more frightening. She was a student. She was a mother. She was active in her community.
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The defense will likely point toward psychological breaks or external pressures, but the prosecution is leaning heavily on the "cunning" nature of the crimes. The way she manipulated dating apps, used her pregnancy as a lure, and even tried to frame others shows a high level of cognitive function. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Key Facts to Remember:
- Ana Paula Veloso Fernandes is accused of killing at least four people between January and May 2025.
- Methods included stabbing and poisoning via coffee, stew, and milkshakes.
- She is a former law student from São Paulo.
- She allegedly killed 10 animals to test her poisons first.
- Her twin sister and a victim's daughter are also implicated in the broader investigation.
What's Next for the Investigation?
Right now, authorities are still conducting toxicology tests on exhumed bodies. They’re looking for more victims because, as Chief Ideiao put it, someone with this much "pleasure" in the act rarely stops at four.
If you’re following this case, the main thing to watch is the forensic reports on the insecticide used. That’s going to be the smoking gun that ties the different scenes together.
For those interested in the legal side, this is a landmark case for Brazilian criminal psychology. It challenges the "typical" profile of a female serial killer, moving from the "Black Widow" trope into something more varied and contract-based.
Stay informed by following official reports from CNN Brazil and G1, as they have direct access to the DHPP updates. Avoid the TikTok rumors—this case is heavy enough without the made-up "creepypasta" details that tend to pop up. Stick to the facts: a law student, a banned poison, and a trail of victims that has left a community in mourning.