Murder suspect denies masterminding lethal attack

Weapons used in the attack confiscated by the police

The main suspect in a violent murder case in Areia Preta has denied she masterminded the attack, the Judiciary Police (PJ) told a press conference yesterday.
The 33-year-old suspect is surnamed Liao and comes from Hunan province of mainland China.
The attack took place between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on January 19, the PJ said. At around 7 p.m. that day, the emergency services received the first report about the attack which happened at Pat Tat San Chun, a residential building on Avenida de Venceslau de Morais.
The first report revealed three were injured – one of them without any sign of life – all of whom were sent to the hospital. Further investigation unearthed that the suspect entered Macau at about 4 p.m. that day. The PJ believe that she then went to a supermarket to buy the weapons – a 30.5-centimeter knife, two ice picks, and a bottle of chili powder – which were later used to carry out the act, in addition to two bottles of white liquor which were found outside the apartment.
The suspect poured some chili powder into the pocket of her coat which led the police to believe that the powder was initially part of the attack.
The police said that the suspect arrived at the building where the crime was committed at 5:12 p.m. The police believe she spent some time lingering around or inside the building before actually entering the apartment of the victims.
The apartment owner’s mother let her in. She spoke with the people inside: the owner’s wife, who had been married to the owner for eight years, and their two children, in addition to the owner’s mother. Allegedly, she suddenly took out the knife and attacked the owner’s 5-year-old son, and subsequently tried to attack his 33-year-old wife, who was killed during the attack.
The owner’s mother intervened and was attacked by the suspect too. In the chaos and confusion, the 10-year-old daughter apparently managed to sneak out of the house and sought help at the building’s security post.
Public Security Police Force (PSP) deployed officers from its special task division who were equipped with shields to the scene. When the police arrived, the grandmother was still fighting the suspect.
The wife was declared dead at the hospital. A post-mortem showed that she sustained three cut wounds on her neck, two stab wounds in her chest, and multiple cuts on her limbs.
The boy sustained wounds to his face, chest and left shoulder. The grandmother was critically injured, with serious cuts on her left chest, left abdomen, right shoulder and both hands.
More than a decade ago, the suspect and the apartment owner were in a romantic relationship. After breaking up, they remained friends.
She told the PJ that she suspected her ex-boyfriend had somehow done harm to her, such as poisoning her. The suspect agreed to medical tests, which ultimately did not support her claims. AL