Suzane von Richthofen
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Suzane Louise von Richthofen (born 3 November 1983) is a Brazilian woman of German and Lebanese ancestry who, at age 18 in 2002, participated on the murder of her own parents, which was committed by her 21-year-old boyfriend Daniel Cravinhos and his 26-year-old brother Cristian. Suzane wanted to inherit her parents' fortune and continue dating Daniel without their disapproval. The three murderers were eventually all convicted and condemned to lengthy sentences.[1]
Suzane is the most widely known female criminal in Brazil.
Life before crime edit
Suzane was born on the 3rd of November 1983 to German engineer Manfred von Richthofen and Lebanese-Brazilian psychiatrist Marisia von Richthofen (néé Abdalla) and has a younger brother, Andreas. Her family's wealth, a declared net worth of R$5.5 million but estimated to be much higher, allowed her to have a comfortable life and study law at a prestigious university, the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo. Suzane was considered "well-behaved", always did well at school, spoke three foreign languages and did ballet.[1] In the summer of 1999, she started attending a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class, where she met and began a relationship with Daniel Cravinhos de Paula e Silva, her future accomplice.
Motives edit
Suzane's parents initially allowed her to date Daniel, believing it to be a temporary crush, but changed their mind as it went on and when they discovered that he used marijuana almost daily, was unwilling to work or attend school, and came from a lower-class background (although Daniel himself asserted the opposite on his trial: that he worked hard and didn't smoke). In July 2002, while Suzane's parents were on vacation, Daniel moved into the house for a month. When the parents came back home, Suzane suggested they buy her a flat where she could live with Daniel. Her father refused, saying that she could do whatever she liked only if she earned money herself.
Suzane continued to meet Daniel in secret and claimed that her actions were motivated by love and a fear that Daniel would leave her. Her lawyer, Denivaldo Barni, said that Suzane had no motive at all, but was forced to the crime by Daniel, whom she adored like a god.
Another reason may have been the parents' wealth, estimated at about 17 million dollars, which Suzane would inherit in the event of the parents' death. As Prosecutor Roberto Tardelli put it, Suzane wanted to "get her hands on the money and assets her parents had worked so hard to obtain"; she "wanted her freedom and independence without having to work for it".
Crime edit
Suzane planned the murder of her parents for months. In the late hours of 31 October 2002, she checked if they were already asleep, then disconnected the alarm system of the estate and opened the door to Daniel and Cristian, who had been waiting outside. The brothers went upstairs to the parents' bedroom and struck them with iron bars before strangling them with towels. Suzane was waiting in the living room downstairs. After the murder was accomplished, the three staged a break-in by pocketing money they found, spreading papers in the library, and creating a mess in the house. Suzane and Daniel then went to a motel, while Cristian ate at a fast food restaurant.
Early in the morning, Suzane and Daniel picked up her little brother, Andreas, at an internet café and went home, where they "found" the door open and lights turned on. They then called the police, suggesting a possible burglary. After finding the crime scene, the officers communicated the murders to Daniel to in turn tell it to Suzane and Andreas. Andreas reacted with shock and confusion, while Suzane coldly asked an officer what she was supposed to do thereafter, a reaction that surprised him.
Investigating officers had doubts that the crime was a burglary and suspected that the perpetrators were known to the victims. They soon began to question Andreas and the employees of the Richthofen family. Police were also suspicious of the alarm system switched off and the papers spread very regularly, as if by design, but also Suzane's apparent indifference – she was seen in the house's swimming pool with Daniel the day after the murder, and celebrated her 19th birthday with friends just hours after the parents' burial, three days after the murder.
The investigators began shadowing Suzane and Daniel. They also learned that Cristian had bought a motorcycle a few days after the murders and had paid cash in R$100 bills, well above his normal income levels. A few days later, on November 9, 2002, he, Daniel and Suzane were all arrested, and Suzane soon confessed to the murder. Suzane was released from prison in May 2005, when the Supreme Federal Court granted her habeas corpus. She then awaited her trial under house arrest.
Trial edit
On July 17, 2006, Suzane von Richthofen, along with the Cravinhos brothers, was put on trial in São Paulo for homicídio qualificado, the equivalent of First Degree Murder in Brazilian law. Suzane blamed Daniel for everything, while the Cravinhos brothers claimed to have acted on her wishes. Prosecutor Roberto Tardelli, however, called Suzane the "mastermind" of the crime and called for a 50 years sentence for each of the three defendants (at the time, however, Brazilian law limited any person's imprisonment to 30 years, even with a higher sentence). On July 22, Suzane and Daniel were both sentenced to 40 years in prison for the crime, while Cristian got a sentence of 38 years for conspiracy.
Life as a prison inmate edit
In August 2014, due to have accomplished one third of her 40-year sentence with good behavior, Suzane progressed to the semi-open regime, meaning she sleeps in prison but works outside. She has since been granted holiday vacations from prison every year near Christmas.[2][3]
In February 2015, Suzane gave an interview to the late TV host Gugu Liberato, where she confessed to have planned the crime but claimed to be remorseful about it. She also said she met Daniel when she was 14 years old through her mother and with him lived a life where she could "do anything", and confirmed her intention of relinquishing her inheritance rights.
In late years, Suzane has been granted holiday vacations from prison every year near Christmas. In late 2017, about 30,000 inmates in the State of São Paulo, including Suzane and Anna Carolina Jatobá, convicted for murdering her stepdaughter in 2009, a case that shocked Brazil just like Suzane's, were granted holiday vacations outside prison.
Destiny edit
Suzane will be released between 2032 and 2042. Nothing prevents Suzane from gaining access to the money after serving her sentence.[4][5]
She was released on probation on January 11, 2023.
Repercussion and popular culture edit
The case shocked Brazil in the 2000s and remains one of the most well-known murder cases in the country. It inspired two books and two dramatizations about the subject:
- Richthofen: O assassinato dos pais de Suzane (Richthofen: The murder of Suzane's parents), by Roger Franchini, published in 2011.
- Suzane - Assassina e manipuladora (Suzane - Murderer and manipulator), by Ullisses Campbell, published in 2020.
- A Menina Que Matou os Pais (The Girl Who Killed Her Parents), movie released in 2021. Told from Daniel's perspective.
- O Menino Que Matou Meus Pais (The Boy Who Killed My Parents), a movie also from 2021 with the same actors, but told from Suzane's perspective.
References edit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elternmord und Leidenschaft. Wolfgang Kunath for Berliner Zeitung. 24 July 2006. In German.
- ↑ Suzane Richthofen e Anna Jatobá vão passar fim de ano fora da prisão. TV UOL. 19 December 2017. In Portuguese.
- ↑ Suzane, Anna Jatobá e Elize Matsunaga retornam para presídio em Tremembé após 'saidinha'. G1. 5 January 2021. In Portuguese.
- ↑ "Feliz aniversário, Suzane!" IstoÉ. 15 November 2006. In Portuguese.
- ↑ "Promotor faz revelações exclusivas sobre o caso Richthofen" RedeTV!. 31 October 2012. In Portuguese.