Today is an incredibly special episode because I had one of my listeners suggest this case to me. Then she helped research and write this podcast with me. I want to give a huge shout out to Aline who commented on A Crime Story Podcast YouTube video about the last Brazilian case covered on this podcase, episode 4 about Suzanne von Richthofen. We just started conversing about our shared hobby of following and researching crime stories. Aline is expat like me though she is living in the United States and is originally from Brazil. I cannot thank her enough for all the work she put in to help with this podcast because translating sources can sometimes be very difficult. Podcasts create community for us Crime-storians, and this was one of my primary goals when creating this podcast and I am so happy that it is coming true.
Today’s case takes place in Brazil which unlike the United States system operates on the Civil Law system, meaning the cases turn on whether a codified law was broken or not. The Federative Republic of Brazil has the largest geographic area in both South and Latin America., with a population is just over 211 million people. To this day, Portuguese not Spanish is spoken in Brazil because of the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas gave Portugal to right to colonize Brazil. Known as a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities, the World Bank classifies Brazil as an upper middle-income economy but Brazil remains a developing country. Brazil has the 9th largest GDP in the world.
Brazil's judiciary has a multifaceted system that operates on the state and federal levels, much like the U.S. judicial system. Primarily based on the civil law tradition, it divides cases into several different jurisdictions, including labor, electoral, military, constitutional and non-constitutional. It also includes three instances of appeal, with cases able to advance from first-level courts all the way to either the Supreme Federal Court or the Superior Court of Justice. This exists in a similar fashion to the municipal, state, and federal courts system and appeals courts in the United States. In most civil law systems juries are only brought in on especially heinous crimes. In Brazil jury trials only occur in respect of willful crimes against life, namely: homicide, abortion, encouragement or assistance to commit suicide, infanticide, and genocide, including attempts to commit such crimes.
The crime story today is extremely popular in Brazil with a survey suggesting that 98% of Brazilians know about this case. The case captured the attention of the country much like the Casey Anthony case captured the attention of Americans. Infanticide or the murder of a child captures the attention of the public because most people cannot imagine a more heinous crime. The people of Brazil wanted justice of the victim, little Isabella. A Brazilian psychologist explained that Brazil became so fascinated with this case because “Brazil's passion for soap operas and "Big Brother"-style shows fueled the public's interest in the case, which spoke to their own fears and fantasies. In this reality show, there are all the ingredients to shake the inner being.... 'Who killed Isabella?' is the question on the lips of everybody." Brazilian culture Professor Caldas stated that “[Brazil] used to treat crime news like they do in Europe, now [has] moved to a US model. There's a lot of sensationalism, like in America today.” When a memorial was held in São Paulo, Brazil shortly after the murder of Isabella, 18,000 people attended.
Our crime story has many characters, the main on being, Isabella de Oliveira Nardoni, a five-year-old child in 2008 who lived in São Paulo, Brazil. Born in 2002 to father Alexandre Alves Nardoni and Mother Ana Carolina Cunha de Oliveira, Isabella’s parents had dated for three years. Discovering the pregnancy at age 17, Ana Olivera stay at her parents’ home because Alexandre had just started law school. Eleven months after the birth of Isabella her parents broke up due to Ana’s suspicions of Alexandre’s infidelity.
Suspicions turned out true as Alexandre cheated on Ana with a fellow law student named Anna Carolina Jatobá. The two eventually got married and had two sons together. By the beginning of 2008 Ana Olivera and Alexandre had established a custody agreement for their 5-year-old as Alexandre Nardoni and his wife would have Isabella over from Friday to Sunday night twice bi-monthly. Sources claim that it wasn’t the best co-parenting relationship between the three of them though as Anna Carolina had major jealously issues. She would only talk to Isabella’s mother about Isabella, instead of Isabella’s father. Isabella’s mom didn’t want Isabella spending time alone with Anna Carolina unless Alexandre was at home. Some allege that Isabella told her mother that she did not want to return to her Dads home after spending the weekend with him and would be visibly upset.
On the weekend of March 29, 2008 Alexandre had custody of Isabella for the weekend. Alexandre lived with his wife and two sons on the sixth floor of Edifício London building on the street Rua Santa Leocádia in São Paulo. Not a bad area or a slum, instead just a simple, middle class apartment with a supposedly simple, middle class family living inside. Around 11:30-11:45pm that night Isabella accidentally fell from the sixth floor onto the apartment lawn in front of the building.
Aline told me that most homes in Brazil have screens on their windows like we do in my native Texas mainly to keep bugs out. Yes, these screens can be removed but require either a bit of force or some tools; I personally do not think a five almost six-year-old girl just playing around at night close to midnight could, first open a window, then pop out the screen and jump to the ground below. It is just not feasible or probable to me. A call came into the police station telling the dispatcher stetting that a theft occurred and that girl was thrown from one of the floors of the building. Found unconscious suffering from cardiac arrest in the front garden of the apartment when police arrived, Isabella lied on the ground with her father, neighbors, and employees of the condominium by her side. When the first responders asked Isabella’s father and stepmother what happened, the couple claimed that an assailant entered the house and threw Isabella from the sixth floor. The two did not call the police after Isabella was “thrown out of the building” around 11:30-11:45pm. The couple called the police closer to the morning, around dawn and they did not know who committed the robbery or who pushed Isabella out the window. Medical personal tried to resuscitate Isabella for 34 minutes but they were ultimately unsuccessful. Isabella died on the way to the hospital.
After Isabella was officially pronounced dead. Alexandre Nardoni and Anna Carolina Jatobá were taken to the police station for questioning. Alexandre Nardoni told police they had all including; him, his wife, daughter Isabella, and two sons has spent the evening at his in-laws’ house. When they returned back to the condo around 11:30pm which was late, Isabella had fallen asleep in the car. Therefore, he carried Isabella’s sleeping body up the stairs and put her in her bedroom. Then he locked the apartment door and went back to the garage to help his wife up with their two other children and when they returned to the apartment, he saw the front door was open, the window protective screen was broken and, his daughter laying in the lawn. Which first of is terrifying but it also leaves an exceedingly small window for a burglar/ murderer to come complete their supposed task.
While be questioned by the police, Alexandre and Anna Carolina gave about 23 names, among them were employees and acquaintances who could have been the possible suspects. Police questioned them all but none of the people went to the front of the line as a suspect. Police also dismissed the theory mentioned earlier that Isabella cut the screen herself and jumped. A five-year-old could simply not cut the screen. Police officially ruled the case as a homicide. Alexandre and Anna Carolina quickly emerged as suspects due to their inconsistent stories and the physical evidence. No evidence existed of a break in and in fact Alexandre had locked the door. More significant the police found drops of Isabella’s blood at the entrance of the room, so if she died by falling out of the window how does that make sense. Furthermore, police found the broken screen in her brother’s room not Isabella’s room. It also appeared that some kitchen utensils may have been used to cut the screen.
Alexandre and Anna Carolina story seemed odd as well. They did not ask about Isabella at any time. I understand that everyone reacts to grief and stress differently, but your five-year-old child dies and you don’t ask basic questions. It does not jive and already knowing the answers seems more plausible of an explanation for not asking. Inconsistencies in the couple's testimonies began to appear from the get-go. The couple's version proved untrue by their neighbors’ testimony as well as by phone records. Police discovered that the couple constantly fought in front of the children and the main cause of these fights—- Anna Carolina’s jealousy and belief that Isabella’s presence threatened her marriage. Anna lived in constant competition with the Isabella for Alexandre Nardoni's attention and affection.
When the medical examiner issued his autopsy report, he noted that Isabella’s bodily injuries were not consistent with the fall alone and in fact happened before the fall. The details aI am about to share are difficult considering everything this little girl went through. I don’t blame you if you want to skip ahead about a minute to not hear these disturbing facts.
Police forensics concluded that someone beat and asphyxiated Isabella inside the apartment before throwing her out of the 6th floor window. A report from the Criminalistics Institute states that Isabella was strangled for three minutes inside the apartment causing respiratory arrest. The report concludes that the bruises on the girl's neck were compatible with the hands of her stepmother, Anna Carolina. Afterwards, someone threw Isabella from the 6th floor condo window causing polytrauma and injuries to the internal organs. Forensics also found that traces of the window screen on Alexandre's clothes and her father’s footprint ton the bed sheet. Isabella had several bruises on the inside of her mouth, an indication that she had her mouth covered so she wouldn't scream. Isabella also had a wound on her forehead, and, according to forensics, a blunt object caused the trauma, probably a tetra key or a fob, a very common item for extra security in apartments. The coroner responsible for the case reported that the girl would have died even if she had not been thrown out of the window due to the brutal violence she had suffered. The medical examiner stated that someone threw Isabella out the window 12 minutes after the family's arrival at the apartment. Although circumstantial evidence suggests that Isabella death occurred from the fall, her injuries show otherwise. Only her wrists were broken, in addition to the fact that she was still alive, albeit barely, when discovered
Neighbors report that they heard screams from a child saying "Stop daddy". Some of them believe it from Isabella but forensics conclude it to have come from Isabella’s 3-year-old half-brother since the asphyxiation likely rendered her unconscious and near death. The police also questioned Isabella’s biological mother, Carolina de Oliveira, and based on her testimony, the police request the temporary arrest of Isabella's father and stepmother not even 24 hours after the murder. Authorities officially arrest and indict the couple on the charge of murder on April 18, 2008. Both claim their innocence.
The prosecutor, Francisco Cembranelli, charged the couple with intentional murder, tripe qualified. This means there exists intention to kill by cruel means, the victim has an inability to defend themselves and to hiding another crime. In addition to homicide, the couple also faced procedural fraud for tampering with evidence after the fact and altering the crime scene. According to the prosecutor, blood stains in the apartment and washed clothes belonging to Alexandre’s provide strong evidence that the accused manipulated the crime scene. The best equivalent I could find to these charges in the United States justice system would be capital murder with special circumstances, which means committing first degree murder while committed another felony in this case being extreme in nature. Child abuse and battery as well as the tampering with evidence charge certainly deserves the fullest possible charge.
While awaiting trial, Alexandre’s father Antonio Nardoni who was a lawyer oversaw the couple’s defense and public image. In several interviews with Brazilian news programs, Antonio Nardoni stated that anyone could have entered the building and accessed the apartment. But remember, the forensic police proved that no sign of a break-in at the door existed. Anna Carolina stated that a few days before the murder she had lost the keys to the apartment, and this could explain why the forensics didn’t find any sign of a break-in. To believe this story one has to believe that she lost the keys, a random stranger found the keys, found the apartment, killed a 5 year old child while not harming anyone else….YEAH RIGHT. While awaiting trial the stepmother had some problems in jail as her fellow inmates did not treat her very nice. On Mother’s Day they left a note for her in the prison yard stating “Tribute to Isabella, on this Mother's Day. Damn murderer.” Authorities moved to another prison for her protection and held her in solitary confinement for her protection. Authorities treated Alexandre Nardoni differently and held him a differentiated penitentiary regime because he had a university degree. His fellow inmates harassed him and he also went to solitary confinement for his protection.
Isabella’s mother remained mostly reclusive during the days leading up to the trial, mostly attending mass and other religious celebrations and memorials in the name of her Isabella. The Brazilian press hounded her and she did give one significant interview to an important Brazilian TV program. She stated that that statements of Alexandre and his wife were "not at all" convincing. She said that she talked very little with Isabella's father and that, for justice, she would serve as a prosecution witness.
Alexandre and Anna Carolina went on trial on March 22, 2010, almost two years (to the day) after Isabella's death. The first day of trail Anna Carolina testified for three hours, presenting a very emotional story where she criticized the police and said that the charges against her were "totally false". Alexandre Nardoni took a different approach in his testimony by attacking the conduct of the Civil Police during investigations into the murder. Alexandre said that the police "coerced" him and blamed him for the crime. He said a deputy called him a "cold psychopath" and this made him so angry during these police questioning that he kicked the trash can in the police station room and hit the table. This aspect of his testimony seems a bad choice as if I served on that jury it would show me that Alexandre Nardoni has a lot pride as well as temper which could both be a motive for murder!
One of the testimonies for the prosecutor’s argument stated a witness saw fights between Alexandre and Anna Carolina caused by her Anna Carolina’s jealousy. The female witness told the judge that she witnessed at least one attempt where Anna Carolina attacked her husband when she in front of Alexandre's mother. The witness said that she told Isabella's grandmother that she should not let the Isabella go to the couple's apartment with Anna Carolina worried for Isabella’s safety.
In the end the jury found both guilty and the judge sentenced Alexandre to 31 years, 1 month and 10 days in prison and Anna Carolina to 26 years and 8 months WITH the right to parole and they can apply to reduce the sentence. The jury consisted of four women and three men understood that the defendants committed triple- qualified homicide, for using cruel means (asphyxiation), not defending the victim who while unconscious was thrown through a window, and having committed a crime to cover up another, which they had done in the apartment. The judge increased Alexandre's sentence by one sixth because he committed the crime against his own daughter and for failing to act as a father. The aggravating factor of the crime against someone under the age of 14 added to their sentence as did conviction for procedural fraud. They both received eight months and 24 days-fine for changing the crime scene in order to cheat the authorities.
When reading the sentence Alexandre showed little to no emotion and Anna Carolina cried. Isabella's maternal family, on the other hand, held hands. As the judge pronounced the word "guilty", cheers were heard from the crowd outside the court, they were listening to the audio of the sentence through the radio. The verdict was celebrated with a chorus of calls for justice by the crowd. Some protesters even set off fireworks. In the years since the trail Ana Oliveira, Isabella's mother got married, and in 2016 gave birth to a little boy named Miguel. In February 2020 she gave birth to a little girl, Maria Fernanda. Although completely shattered by the tragic death of her first daughter, this woman managed to get enough strength to put the pieces together and rebuild her life. Although a very reserved and discreet woman, she is very dear to the Brazilian people.
On April 18, 2020, the day that Isabella would have been Isabella’s 18th birthday. Her mother paid an emotional tribute to her on social media: "Today, your dreamed 18 years would come. The only question I have and will always have is: how would it be? This question will ever remain silent. But, today I know that the sky is celebrating and I know and believe that everything is fine! I know that your evolution hasn’t been interrupted and I feel that your growth is even greater. We have been separated for twelve years here on Earth, but eighteen years united in one heart. And this union will be forever and ever. So be it! I love you beyond what you imagine, my eternal little one”
English sources:
Portuguese Sources translated to English via Google Translate:
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