Suzane von Richthofen: Difference between revisions

|Image = Suzane-Von-Richthofen.jpg

|fullname = Suzane Louise von Richthofen

|origin = 3 November 1983 (aged {{age|19831103}})<br>São Paulo, Brazil

|crimes = [[Murder]]<br>

|type of villain = Psychotic, inheritance seeker

|hobby=Watching policial shows like ''CSI''}}

'''Suzane Louise von Richthofen''' (born 3 November 1983) is a Brazilian woman of German and Lebanese ancestry who, at age 18 in 2002, murdered her own parents with help of her 21-year-old boyfriend and his brother, in order to inherit their fortune. The three were eventually all convicted and condemned to lengthy sentences.<ref name="Berliner Zeitung"/>

Suzane's parents initially allowed her to date Daniel but changed their mind when they discovered that he used marijuana almost daily, was unwilling to work or attend school, and came from a lower-class background. 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 in which she could live with Daniel, which her father refused, saying that she could do whatever she liked only if she earned money herself.

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 her boyfriend Daniel and his brother Christian (26 years old), 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 Christian 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 "discovered" the crime scene, called the police, and told them their story. However, 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 the children and the employees of the Richthofen family. Police were suspicious of not only the crime scene, with 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.

The investigators began shadowing Suzane and Daniel. They also learned that Christian 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.

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 Christian got a sentence of 38 years for conspiracy.

 

* ''A Menina Que Matou os Pais'' (The Girl Who Killed Her Parents), movie released in 2021.

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.<ref>[https://tvuol.uol.com.br/video/suzane-richthofen-e-anna-jatoba-vao-passar-fim-de-ano-fora-da-prisao-0402CD9C3970D8996326 Suzane Richthofen e Anna Jatobá vão passar fim de ano fora da prisão]. TV UOL. 19 December 2017.</ref><ref>[https://g1.globo.com/sp/vale-do-paraiba-regiao/noticia/2021/01/05/suzane-anna-jatoba-e-elize-matsunaga-retornam-para-presidio-em-tremembe-apos-saidinha.ghtml Suzane, Anna Jatobá e Elize Matsunaga retornam para presídio em Tremembé após 'saidinha']. G1. 5 January 2021. In Portuguese.</ref>

Suzane will be released between 2032 and 2042. Nothing prevents Suzane from gaining access to the money after serving her sentence.<ref>[http://www.istoe.com.br/reportagens/3535_FELIZ+ANIVERSARIO+SUZANE+ "Feliz aniversário, Suzane!"] IstoÉ. 15 November 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.redetv.com.br/atardeesua/video/299885/promotor-faz-revelacoes-exclusivas-sobre-o-caso-richthofen.html "Promotor faz revelações exclusivas sobre o caso Richthofen"] RedeTV!. 31 October 2012 {{in lang|pt}}</ref>