Footballer serving 22-YEAR jail sentence over murder of model whose body was fed to DOGS faces tag dispute after joining new club

Goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes, who was sentenced to 22 years in jail in 2013 over the gruesome murder of former flame Eliza Samudio, could appeal against wearing an ankle tag after resuming his career with a lower league club.

The former title-winning keeper, 35, received the sentence following the murder of Samudio, the mother of his son, in 2010.

Actress and model Samudio had been at Bruno's mansion before being taken to the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, where she was asphyxiated by a former policeman hired to handle the killing.

The 25-year-old's body was then quartered, put in bags and fed to rottweilers in an assassination arranged by Bruno's best friend, Luiz Romao – nicknamed "Spaghetti".

Bruno was able to sign for Serie D side Rio Branco in June because of the conditions of his sentence, which allow him to spend some of his time outside of prison.

He could now appeal against a reported order to wear an ankle bracelet that will track him during training and matches.

"It could not be different for him because he is not better than anyone else," prosecutor Tales Fonseca Tranin told Meia Hora.

"He won't be able to avoid putting it on because he’s famous.

"Re-educated [prisoners] in the semi-open regime in Acre use electronic anklets. I do not know about other states – some use them and others do not, but it varies in each state."

A defense attorney for the player could try to prove that it is impossible to use the equipment during games and training sessions, according to the outlet.

Bruno impregnated Samudio, who had been involved in pornographic films as part of her career, after meeting her at a sex party in May 2009.

The former stopper for Brazilian giants Corinthians said in court that he split from Samudio after she refused to have an abortion, soon resulting in a lawsuit while he was dating dentist Ingrid Cavalcanti and still married to Dayana Rodrigues, the mother of his two daughters.

The paternity and child support case soured the relationship. That October, Samudio told Rio police that Bruno and some of his friends, including Romao, had kidnapped her and forced her to take medication to induce an abortion.

She also accused the group of assaulting her and told officers that Bruno had pointed a gun at her head.

The court case heard that Samudio had been told she would receive a lump sum payment from Bruno by traveling hundreds of miles with Romao to a ranch with her new baby.

Jorge Salas, Bruno's 17-year-old cousin who had been looked after by the footballer after having trouble with drug dealers in his home neighborhood, revealed the horrific details of Samudio's death.

Bruno said he had been away playing for current Brazilian champions Flamengo but had spoken to Samudio at the ranch, where she stayed before being taken to the separate location with the baby.

Associates of Bruno, including ex-wife Rodrigues, tried to hide the infant, Bruninho, from police after searches for her body started. Her remains were never found.

Speaking in January, Bruno told Record: "People do not want to give me an opportunity. They don't want to let me work. They talk about me on social networks but who is going to put food on my table?"

He married Cavalcanti in 2016 while in jail and has said he wants to tell his son "everything that happened and ask for forgiveness."

Sonia Moura, Bruninho's guardian and Samudio's mother, said the boy had panic attacks when he heard from his father and admitted that she would not choose to let Bruno see his son.

"He committed a heinous crime and it's absurd that he can now become an idol for children and teenagers," she told Brazilian magazine Epoca in February.

"Courts allow him all of his wishes while I can't even find my daughter's remains."

More than 1,310 women were killed in domestic violence incidents in Brazil in 2019, where femicide has become an important topic for human rights supporters.

There were nationwide protests and sponsorship drop-outs when Bruno played five matches for one club before a Supreme Court decision returned him to prison.

Several clubs have faced pressure from fans and backers after expressing an interest in signing him.

"I believe many people deserve a second chance," said television presenter Jessica Senra, voicing an opinion live on air that caused one club to back down in January.

"But forgiving someone does not mean forgetting what a person did and what she did in our lives...it is quite questionable to allow this woman killer to be again in a position which will make him an idol."

Rio Branco women's coach Rose Costa used Instagram to announce she was quitting after Bruno signed for the club.

"My life story as a woman and a professional prevent me from remaining at Rio Branco,” she said.

“I need to respect my own beliefs, including that we educate by example.”

Bruno never admitted to having ordered Samudio's killing and blamed Romao for the ordeal, but he confessed that he had been informed of the crime and lied about it to police during their search for the body.

"He is looking to be reintegrated to society," said Mariana Miglorini, the player's lawyer.

"All he can do is play football."

Romao received 15 years and has severed ties with his former friend, serving his time in an open prison since 2018.

Marcos Aparecido, the cop responsible for the murder, received 36 years in jail, including 14 years for a previous murder for which he was already being tried.