On Sunday, December 3, 2023, in São Paulo, Brazil, a 36-year-old off-duty military police officer was caught on camera fatally shooting his 33-year-old wife after slugging her five times.
The surveillance footage, which has been widely circulated, captured a heated argument between the couple that escalated into physical violence outside their car. Erika de Lima can be seen struggling to remove her husband, Thiago de Lima, from the vehicle before he exited and assaulted her by punching her multiple times in the face.
Following the physical assault, Thiago de Lima allegedly fired at least two shots at his wife, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.
Thiago left but returned to the scene, attempting to get his injured wife back into the car as local residents emerged from their homes.
The injured woman was taken to the hospital by Thiago, where she was pronounced dead.
Thiago de Lima is now facing charges of feminicide, a specific type of homicide that is associated with domestic and family violence and/or discrimination against women.
About a month prior to this incident, Erika de Lima had filed a police report concerning a domestic violence threat from her husband. She claimed that Thiago had become jealous after they left a nightclub and pointed a gun at her head once they were home. However, she chose not to pursue charges against him at that time. Thiago de Lima reportedly denied the allegations of aiming the gun at his wife or issuing threats.
This incident has drawn attention to the broader issue of feminicide in Brazil, a country that has been grappling with high rates of violence against women.
The couple had been married for about six months, and Erika de Lima leaves behind two daughters from a previous relationship.
