Luiz Miguel Miltao Guerreiro

Overview

Luiz Miguel Miltao Guerreiro was a Portuguese businessman who owned a beach club in Fortaleza, Brazil. Six Portuguese businessmen went missing shortly after their arrival in Brazil nearly two weeks before their bodies were discovered underneath a nightclub in the north-eastern city of Fortaleza. The bodies were found covered with bullet and stab wounds and had been buried under a layer of cement. Brazilian authorities also arrested several other people, including Guerreiro’s wife, in connection with the murders.

Timeline

• 11 August — Security cameras at Fortaleza’s international airport recorded Luiz Miguel Miltao Guerreiro meeting six Portuguese businessmen after they arrived.
• 25 August 2001 — Police discovered the six bodies underneath a nightclub in Fortaleza after arresting the nightclub owner, Luiz Miguel Miltao Guerreiro.
• 26 August 2001 — Brazilian medical examiners determined that all six men were alive when they were buried under the bar’s concrete floor.

The offence

Six Portuguese businessmen were murdered in Brazil. Their bodies were discovered underneath a nightclub in Fortaleza and were covered with bullet and stab wounds. The bodies had been buried under a layer of cement and were described as being piled on top of each other in a state of decomposition. Brazilian medical examiners later determined that the men were alive when they were buried under the concrete floor.

Francisco Simao, the medical examiner for the state of Ceara, said that two of the men found interred beneath a beach bar near Fortaleza had been shot, and the others were strangled and beaten. He also said that all six were alive when they were buried under the bar’s concrete floor.

The victims were apparently plied with whiskey before being attacked.

Investigation

Police uncovered the bodies after arresting the owner of the nightclub, Luiz Miguel Miltao Guerreiro. The bodies were found under a layer of cement beneath the nightclub.

The six Portuguese businessmen were filmed on short-circuit TV cameras arriving at the airport in Fortaleza. Police said they had been met by Mr Guerreiro. Portuguese Shock Police said a daughter of one of the executives had recommended Guerreiro to the Portuguese men, who were believed to have worked in the building trade.

Police said Luis Miguel Guerreiro had been using the missing men’s credit cards and had already spent more than $10,000.

Brazilian authorities arrested six people in connection with the murders. A police spokesman said the six included four security guards. Police said the men had confessed to robbing and killing the businessmen.

One of the people arrested along with Mr Guerreiro told police he had been paid four dollars to dig the hole for the bodies two days before the actual murders. Another man showed police where he had buried the dead men’s luggage and mobile phones in a separate hole near the club.

Police said they were looking for Mr Guerreiro’s brother-in-law, whom they believed was also involved in the crime.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres spoke of his “profound shock” at the news, and the Brazilian foreign ministry issued a statement saying it “sincerely regrets” the murders.

Arrest and detention

Luiz Miguel Miltao Guerreiro was arrested and was reported to have confessed to the murders and revealed where he had dumped his victims. Another reported confession involved people arrested in connection with the murders.

Careful planning was suggested by the authorities. Mr Guerreiro was also under arrest along with his Brazilian wife Maria Leandro Cavalcante.

Mr Guerreiro was caught on film by security cameras at Fortaleza’s international airport as he met the six businessmen on 11 August. He had become acquainted with them after the daughter of one of the businessmen personally recommended him to them.

Trial and sentencing

Mr Guerreiro was sentenced to life in prison. If Mr Guerreiro was convicted of the murders, he faced a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and extradition to Portugal, according to Brazilian police.

Appeals

No appeal details were provided.

Outcome

The six Portuguese businessmen’s bodies were discovered underneath a nightclub in Fortaleza, and Brazilian medical examiners concluded that they were alive when they were buried under the concrete floor.

Aftermath

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres spoke of his “profound shock” at the crime, and Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso sent condolences to the dead men’s families. Local human rights groups called for the beach club to be demolished and replaced by a monument to the victims.

The bodies were due to be flown back to Portugal after the medical examination was complete.

Victims

The six dead men were identified as:

• Manoel Joaquim Barros
• Joaquim Fernandes Martins
• Vitor Manuel Martins
• Joaquim Silva Mendes
• Antonio Correia Rodrigues
• Joaquim Manoel Pestana da Costa

Other details

Police described the nightclub where the bodies were found as “Latin Sail”.

Police said Mr Guerreiro was heavily in debt.

Luiz Miguel Miltao Guerreiro had a criminal record in Portugal. In 1996, he received a prison term in Portugal for a robbery, although police said he apparently served only one.

Several other people, including his wife, were arrested in connection with the murders.

A BBC correspondent reported that police suspected the nightclub where the bodies were found was used for prostitution, possibly involving the traffic of women to Europe.

Francisco Simao said: “The bodies were never found.”