Boyfriend of Isabelle Caracristi charged with psychological violence and procedural fraud in Fortaleza
João Munhoz Neto, 34, was charged by Ceará's Civil Police following an investigation into the death of law student Isabelle Caracristi, 22, in September.
Investigation into student's death in Fortaleza results in boyfriend's charging
João Munhoz Neto, 34 years old, boyfriend of law student Isabelle Caracristi, was charged with psychological violence and procedural fraud by Ceará's Civil Police, as reported by oglobo.globo.com. The force concluded its investigation into the death of Isabelle, 22 years old, recorded on 13 September in Fortaleza, and sent the proceedings to the Judiciary on 30 September.
The inquiry brings together evidence, statements and 17 forensic reports. According to police, the death was the result of voluntary precipitation. Munhoz had been held in preventative detention during the investigation, after being identified as a suspect in incitement to suicide — a crime that, however, does not appear among those that motivated his charging.
Special group heard 29 people
The Special Investigation Group (GEI), formed by teams from the 2nd Civil Police Station of the Capital, the 2nd Women's Protection Station of Fortaleza and the Department of Homicides and Protection of Persons (DHPP), heard 29 people throughout the investigation. Among them were family members, friends, work colleagues of the couple, as well as residents and employees of the building where Isabelle died.
Statements gathered by the investigation indicated that Munhoz had controlling behaviour and attempted to keep Isabelle isolated, restricting her actions. The investigation also identified that he attempted to locate and retrieve the student's mobile phone from a waste bin in the building, with the help of the building porter, and asked that family members of the young woman not be allowed access to the building on the night of her death. These actions formed the basis for his charging with procedural fraud.
17 reports and 700 videos analysed
Ceará State Forensic Services (Pefoce) produced 17 reports, including autopsy, toxicological, crime scene, DNA, fingerprint examinations and analyses of audio, video and technological devices. Approximately 700 security camera videos were analysed. In total, 22 forensic experts and assistants participated in the work.
O GLOBO contacted the defence of João Munhoz Neto, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Preventative detention revoked in October
Munhoz was held in preventative detention on 22 September in Fortaleza. Civil Police indicated at the time that the measure aimed to guarantee criminal proceedings and ensure the application of criminal law. Mobile phones and other electronic devices were seized and analysed.
Ceará's Judiciary revoked the detention on 1 October, after the Public Ministry of Ceará (MPCE) issued a favourable opinion for his release. The decision by the 5th Jury Court of the District of Fortaleza replaced the detention with precautionary measures: obligation to maintain distance from the victim's family members, electronic monitoring and prohibition from leaving the district.
Timeline of the night of death
Images from security cameras in the building, obtained by the newspaper Diário do Nordeste, show Isabelle arriving at the building at 17:58. João went down to meet her at reception and the two went up together in the lift. At 18:33, he left the building wearing different clothes — and, before that, in the lift, he appears to have changed the ring on his right hand.
At 19:12, Isabelle entered the lift heading to the building's terrace, on the 23rd floor. Her boyfriend's apartment was on the 15th floor. The last message sent by her to her mother was at 19:22. According to police, Isabelle died at 20:40, 88 minutes after going up to the terrace. João returned to the building at 22:48, when the forensic services vehicle was already in the garage.
The case gained repercussion on social media
The case received major repercussion after Isabelle's mother, Isorlanda Caracristi, a university lecturer, published a video on social media reporting that she had lost contact with her daughter and, when looking for João Munhoz, discovered that she had been blocked by him. When she went to the building where the couple had lived for just a few weeks, she learned that her daughter had died the previous day and her body was already at the Medical Legal Institute (IML).
To the Fantástico programme, Isorlanda stated that she was concerned about her daughter's relationship with the man, who was her boss. The two had apparently met during Isabelle's internship at a law firm in July, and ten days later they had begun a relationship. The lecturer said she considered Munhoz's behaviour controlling and that she had questioned the speed with which the relationship had progressed. Isabelle had also reportedly complained to her mother about her boyfriend's jealous and possessive behaviour.
Boyfriend was married at the beginning of the relationship
Munhoz was married to another woman when he began dating Isabelle, as confirmed to g1 by his defence lawyer, Lígia Peixe. He got married in January 2025. In a statement given before being detained, he stated he was "formally married, but separated in fact and in divorce proceedings".
Isabelle's mother-in-law, Sara Regina Alexandre Munhoz, coordinator of prison health execution at the Penitentiary Administration Secretariat, was located by Ceará's Civil Police early Sunday evening at Cumbuco beach in Caucaia, in the metropolitan region of Fortaleza. A search and seizure warrant was executed, and her mobile phone and a tablet were seized for forensic examination.
Source: Google News BR — Crime