Story By Marija Stojkoska
News Editor Ajda Ender
A man who murdered his stepsister allegedly with the help of his family after she discovered they had been stealing from her dementia-hit father has been jailed for 20 years after the court heard they buried the body under concrete and had a BBQ there to celebrate.
Video shows the day the barbecue was held at the house where Magna was killed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, undated. Loud music can be heard. ***Video Licence Restrictions: NEWS MEDIA PORTALS ONLY. Usage on social media is possible but we offer no guarantees. This video is offered under our ‘social and local media source’ licence. For details see https://newsx.agency/licences/ For terms visit: https://newsflash.media
Gilmar Pereira Calmos, 43, was convicted by a jury court of murdering Magna Laurinda Ferreira Pimentel, 42, and concealing her body at a home in the Candelaria neighbourhood of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in August 2024.
Magna Laurinda Ferreira Pimentel , 42, poses in undated photo. She was killed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (Newsflash)
The sentence included 19 years for aggravated homicide and an additional one year for concealing a corpse, with the judge ordering that Calmos remain in custody and barring him from appealing in freedom.
Magna Laurinda Ferreira Pimentel , 42, poses in undated photo. She was killed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (Newsflash)
Calmos is the first defendant in the wider family case to be convicted, after his trial moved ahead separately following his partial admission of guilt while proceedings against other accused relatives continue.
During the trial, Calmos confessed to killing Magna and hiding her body, but told jurors the attack followed a dispute and claimed he had not planned the crime.
Magna Laurinda Ferreira Pimentel , 42, poses in undated photo. She was killed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (Newsflash)
He told the court he intervened during an argument at the property and acted after being struck during the confrontation, before grabbing a knife and stabbing Magna in the neck and chest.
The court heard that Magna had last been seen on 3 August 2024 after leaving home to take her young child to school before being directed to the property where the attack took place.
Magna Laurinda Ferreira Pimentel , 42, poses in undated photo. She was killed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (Newsflash)
Investigators said she had been lured to the house by her stepmother Marluce de Jesus and her children Paloma Pereira de Jesus, Juno Pereira de Jesus and Calmos, after receiving a call claiming her elderly father was unwell and needed help.
Police concluded the killing was linked to a financial dispute involving alleged fraudulent loans worth BRL 90,000 (GBP 13,167) taken out in the name of Magna’s father, with funds reportedly diverted through bank transfers and online gambling losses.
Prosecutors said Magna had confronted relatives after discovering irregular financial activity, including unauthorised borrowing and property transfers linked to her father’s assets.
Magna Laurinda Ferreira Pimentel , 42, poses in undated photo. She was killed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Note: Private photo taken from local media. (Policia Civil/Newsflash)
Authorities said she was attacked inside the property before her body was concealed in the cistern and sealed with cement in an attempt to hide the crime.
Investigators said Calmos was not acting alone in the wider scheme, with other family members previously charged in connection with the alleged financial offences and the events leading up to the killing.
The other accused relatives remain in custody while their cases continue, with their trials delayed as the courts examine legal appeals against the charges.
Picture shows the location of the cistern with the victim’s body in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, undated. Magna Laurinda Ferreira Pimentel , 42 years old, was killed. Note: Police photo taken from local media. (Policia Civil/Newsflash)
Calmos’s case moved forward first after he admitted carrying out the physical attack and concealing the body, while the other defendants have denied direct involvement in the murder.
In a separate line of investigation, authorities also examined allegations that members of the same family later held a barbecue at the property shortly after the killing while Magna’s body remained hidden nearby.
Police chief Ingrid Estevam said: “After learning of the victim’s disappearance, with the poster already distributed in person and on social media, they simply gathered the family members and had a barbecue in front of the house.
“Remembering that barbecues normally took place in the back, where the cistern is. This barbecue was planned to celebrate the death.”
Police confirmed that the cistern was located in the yard of the same residence where Magna was killed, in a residential area of the Candelaria neighbourhood.
Officers recovered the body after searches were launched weeks later, following reports that Magna had disappeared after entering the property.
Video shows the day the barbecue was held at the house where Magna was killed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, undated. Loud music can be heard. Note: Newsflash obtained permission to use the photo from Svenja Eisenbarth from Berlin Zoo. (Newsflash)
Magna’s family members were present during proceedings, while investigations into other suspects connected to the case remain ongoing.
(Marija Stojkoska/Newsflash)
