Deise Moura, a 42-year-old Brazilian woman, was arrested for allegedly poisoning a Christmas cake that killed three of her family members. Police, following investigations, believe that Moura was the one responsible for the death of her mother-in-law's husband, which took place earlier in 2024.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Deise Moura allegedly murdered two of her mother-in-law's sisters, Neuza and Maida, as well as Neuza's daughter, Tatiana. According to police, Moura poisoned the cake they ate on December 23 with arsenic-contaminated flour.
However, during the investigations, police exhumed the body of Paulo Dos Anjos, the late husband of her mother-in-law, Zeli. He died of food poisoning in September, which was retroactively suspicious to the investigators as it resembled the tragic death of the Dos Anjos women. What forensic experts found, according to the Daily Mail, was high levels of arsenic on Paulo's "stomach, nails, bladder and abdominal wall as well as the liver."
A Broken Family
Following years of money-fueled arguments between Zeli and her son, Diego, Moura's husband, might have contributed to Moura's decision to kill Paulo Dos Anjos. Police found that Moura visited Zeli and Paulo in an attempt to settle things and brought a "peace offering," which included bananas and powdered milk.
Detective Marcos Veloso said that the "peace offering" was actually poison intended to murder the couple. 'The suspect took bananas and powdered milk to Paulo and Zeli's house, they ate them and the next day both ended up in hospital and Paulo died," Veloso said. Moura Would then attempt to visit Zeli, saying that Diego felt "guilty" because it was his idea to bring the bananas and powdered milk.
However, Maida quickly became suspicious of Moura, claiming she was the one responsible for Paulo's death. Maida even went to the extent of bringing her own food during family gatherings as she was worried Moura would want to poison the family. Zeli never believed Moura was behind the death of her husband, so she dismissed her worries.
Murder
Unfortunately, it appears that Maida's worries were justified. Once the family tasted the Christmas cake on December 23, they all fell ill. Maida was the one to die first, followed by Neuza and Tatiana. Forensic experts, just like with Paulo later, found traces of arsenic in the women's bodies.
While suspicions initially targeted Zeli, as she was the one who baked the cake, family members were quick to defend her. Investigations later pointed at Deise Moura, with police then arresting her for the murder of Maida, Neuza, and Tatiana.
"The evidence collected so far convinces us that the suspect [Moura] [is] the author of these crimes [and] will probably not leave prison in her lifetime," Veloso said. "We have no doubt that [Moura] is a person who committed [a] series of murders and attempted murders over a long period of time."
According to Veloso, Moura researched the poison and then purchased it from the Internet, which led to the deaths of her family members. He then called Moura a "very manipulative person."
Regarding Paulo's death, Veloso also said that Moura attempted to buy poison before her father-in-law's death. "The woman tried to buy this poison four times in a five-month period, one of which was just before the death of her father-in-law," Veloso said. "We have found an invoice and tracking code for the material she bought."
Here’s a thought…it could be Diego the husband. Nobody ever wants to think it’s their blood hurting them so they point fingers at the one they’re with saying they’re manipulating their family to be against them when in reality it’s their family’s fault. This could be a situation where her husband spiked the flour. Then after she got arrested to make her look as though she is guilty he paid them to kill her & stage it as a suicide. Just my opinion, yet I agree there are just too many questions with nothing really proving she’s the one who’s done it other than speculation because they were estranged from the family. That’s not reasonable proof of a crime. It can be what makes you suspect yet not proof. I mean they’re BOTH living apart from the family before this, so what’s the proof that it’s even her & not him or not BOTH? & even if they did find proof she’s guilty, it could be orchestrated by her husband & then he has her killed to silence her. This isn’t in the US so it’s known it’s easier to bribe guards & get things done in prisons outside the US. This just looks like a case that’s too perfectly done without enough answers or real proof. Plus if she did kill herself it could be she feels like there’s no hope since they’re determined she’s at fault type of thing.