Woman dies in exorcism 'carried out by friend who says he was expelling demons'
View 3 ImagesMarceli was killed in a botched exorcism
A woman has died in an exorcism - and her friend admitted to killing her, claiming he believed he was expelling her demons. Marceli de Oliveira Gottardo was discovered inside a residential apartment after neighbours heard a disturbance and called police.
Her body was found by shocked officers after they were called to the scene when worried residents heard blood curdling screams coming from inside.
They tried to intercom the home, to see if things were okay, and called police. The incident took place in the Jardim Limoeiro neighbourhood in the municipality of Serra, in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil.
View 3 Images(Image: Newsflash/NX)
Marceli had been in the apartment with Bryan Fernando Gimenez Souza, 26, a friend she had known for about a month, when the terrifying noises began. The noises reportedly briefly subsided after Souza answered the intercom call, and minutes later he allegedly approached another resident asking for help, prompting the neighbour to enter the apartment and discover Marceli lying on the floor with convulsions.
A student nurse living in the building was also called to assist and attempted to provide first aid before emergency services arrived, but Marceli was pronounced dead at the location.
Witnesses described visible injuries on Marceli’s body, including marks on her neck consistent with strangulation, facial trauma, ear bleeding, and multiple bruises.
View 3 ImagesMarceli was killed by Bryan Fernando Gimenez Souza
A subsequent post-mortem examination by the Legal Medical Institute later determined her actual cause of death to be an intracranial hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury caused by severe blunt-force blows.
Souza later told police that he and Marceli had taken drugs earlier in the day, a claim supported by police who found cocaine alongside empty packages near the sofa, reports claim. He then began to believe she was “possessed by demons”.
He allegedly said this belief led him to assault her in what he described as an attempt to “expel the demons”. Police confirmed Souza was arrested at the scene and taken to the Serra Regional Police Station, where he was charged with aggravated homicide.
He was subsequently transferred to a holding facility within the Rodrigo Figueiredo da Rosa Penitentiary Complex while investigations continue.
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