Uncle Paulo incident
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On 16 April 2024, Érika de Souza Vieira Nunes, a 42-year-old[1] Brazilian woman, brought the corpse of her 68-year-old uncle, Paulo Roberto Braga, to an Itaú[2] bank branch in an attempt to withdraw a loan of 17,000 Brazilian reais. The incident occurred in the Bangu neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro and was recorded by bank employees.[3]
The case garnered international attention, being reported in at least France, the United States, Argentina, Germany, Portugal, and Australia.[4]
Incident[edit]
On 16 April 2024, Érika de Souza Vieira brought her uncle, Paulo Roberto Braga, to an Itaú[2] bank branch.[3] During the wait to be attended to, Érika sat down while holding Uncle Paulo's head with her hand; at one point, when she removed her hand from his head to rummage through her bag, Paulo's head slumped. At another moment, she went to the bathroom, where she stayed for about six minutes; during this time, a staff member had to support Paulo's head. Upon returning, Érika attempted to give water to her uncle; shortly after, she was finally attended to.[5] Bank attendants recorded the moment; in the video, Érika was constantly trying to keep Paulo's head up while talking to him, asking him to sign the document to withdraw a loan of 17,000 Brazilian reais. The bank employees commented on Paulo's paleness, but his niece said, "he's always like that". Bank staff became suspicious of Érika's behavior and called the police. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene and determined that the man had been deceased, apparently for several hours; the doctor who attended to Paulo at the bank said that the elderly man showed livor mortis, discolorations that typically appear about two hours after death.[5][3] Erika was arrested on the spot for attempted theft by fraud and desecration of a corpse.[1]
The autopsy report stated that it was not possible to determine whether Paulo had died before or after arriving at the bank;[6] security camera footage shows the elderly man entering the bank with his body already inert, lacking muscle control, and his neck slumped to the side. According to two experts who analyzed the video, Paulo was already deceased upon entering the agency.[7]
Victim[edit]
Paulo Roberto Braga (born 29 February 1956 in Rio de Janeiro)[8][9] was a bus driver and had four siblings who lived in other states, so he had little contact with them. He had been living with his niece Érika and three of her children in the Bangu neighborhood for 15 years. Paulo had no children of his own and never married, although he had companions throughout his life. According to one of his nephews, Paulo had issues with alcohol consumption. According to the family, his health deteriorated because of drinking; Paulo even lost some of his mobility.[10] He died at the age of 68 on 16 April 2024; according to a report from the Institute of Legal Medicine, this occurred between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m due to bronchoaspiration of stomach contents and cardiac failure.[5][2] He was buried in the Campo Grande Cemetery on 20 April, after his family obtained a free burial for those who claim they are unable to afford the costs.[2]
Suspect[edit]
At the time of the incident, Érika de Souza Vieira Nunes (born 24 May 1981 in Rio de Janeiro)[11] was 42 years old. She was arrested on the spot for attempted theft by fraud and desecration of a corpse.[1] According to her family, Érika has psychiatric problems. In 2022, a report stated that she was dependent on sedatives, had symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, and auditory hallucinations. In 2023, another psychiatrist recommended Érika's hospitalization due to her dependence on sedatives and hypnotics. According to one of her children, she has attempted suicide several times.[12]
Reactions[edit]
The incident involving the corpse of Paulo Roberto Braga garnered global attention. It was reported by at least The Guardian,[13] CNN,[14] NBC News,[15] USA Today,[16] The Times of India, Le Parisien, Diário de Notícias, Perth Now, Tag24, and Daily Mirror.[4] In The Sun, the case was called a "shameless scam"; in the Daily Star, it was compared to the 1989 movie Weekend at Bernie's. The Argentine newspaper La Nación referred to the incident as "horror en Brasil".[17] In the United States, Donald Trump ally Ryan Fournier compared Uncle Paulo to then-president Joe Biden. On X (formerly Twitter), he commented on the video showing Erika trying to get Paulo's corpse to sign a document. Fournier wrote, "Make him President";[18] in the 2024 presidential election, age was one of the central points of the dispute.[19]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Nascimento, Rafael; Pierre, Eduardo (19 April 2024). "Idoso morto em agência bancária: defesa de sobrinha alega problemas de saúde de filha ao pedir liberdade condicional". g1 (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Nascimento, Rafael (20 April 2024). "Sobrinha de 'Tio Paulo' foi agredida na cadeia, diz advogada; corpo de idoso é enterrado". g1 (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b c Coutinho, Rogério; Freire, Felipe; Leitão, Leslie; Santos, Guilherme (16 April 2024). "Mulher leva morto em cadeira de rodas para sacar empréstimo de R$ 17 mil e pede a ele: 'Assina'". g1 (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Morto no banco: caso do 'tio Paulo' gera repercussão internacional; veja". O GLOBO (in Portuguese). 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "'Tio Paulo': Fantástico tem acesso a imagens inéditas do caso da mulher que levou homem morto para conseguir empréstimo". g1 (in Portuguese). 21 April 2024. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Leitão, Leslie; Santos, Guilherme (17 April 2024). "Laudo diz que não é possível dizer se idoso morreu antes ou depois de chegar ao banco". g1 (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Bassan, Pedro; Freire, Felipe; Leitão, Leslie; Santos, Guilherme (18 April 2024). "Vídeos mostram idoso imóvel em cadeira ao chegar a banco; com análise de imagens, peritos dizem que ele já estava morto". g1 (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Humilde, discreto, sem esposa e filhos: amigos e vizinhos contam quem era tio Paulo". CBN (in Portuguese). 19 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Quem era "Tio Paulo", homem levado morto para sacar empréstimo no banco". NSC Total (in Portuguese). 22 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "'Tio Paulo': quem era o idoso levado morto por mulher a banco para sacar empréstimo de R$ 17 mil". g1 (in Portuguese). 22 April 2024. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ "Quem é Érika de Souza, presa com o tio morto em agência bancária do Rio". O Globo (in Portuguese). 23 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "'Tio Paulo': relatórios mostram que mulher gravada com cadáver de idoso tem problemas psiquiátricos". g1 (in Portuguese). 22 April 2024. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (17 April 2024). "Brazilian woman arrested after taking corpse to sign bank loan: 'She knew he was dead'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ Castelli, Alessandra (17 April 2024). "Brazilian police detain woman suspected of taking a dead man to withdraw bank loan". CNN. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Video shows a Brazil woman trying to use a corpse to receive a bank loan". NBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "'He's very pale': Woman arrested after taking dead uncle to bank to take out a loan, reports say". USA Today. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
- ^ "Caso de mulher que levou tio morto a banco repercute na imprensa mundial". UOL (in Portuguese). 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Cappelli, Paulo (18 April 2024). "Assessor de Trump compara cadáver de Tio Paulo ao presidente dos EUA". Metrópoles (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Aliado de Trump compara Biden a 'tio Paulo', cadáver levado ao banco no RJ". Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 18 April 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.