A court has been informed that a young woman from Brazil, who had relocated to Ireland in pursuit of a better life, was reportedly strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend during a visit to his apartment. Bruna Fonseca’s lifeless body was discovered at a residence in Cork city center on January 1, 2023. Miller Pacheco, aged 31, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of her murder. Prosecution senior counsel Bernard Condon revealed that Bruna, a 28-year-old university graduate, had made the move to Ireland in 2022 seeking improved prospects.
The court learned that both Bruna and Pacheco, who shared the same hometown in Brazil, had previously been in a romantic relationship before parting ways. Despite the breakup, Bruna had seemingly moved forward in her life. Arriving in Ireland with her niece Maria in September 2022, Bruna secured employment as a cleaner at Mercy University Hospital in the city. On the other hand, Pacheco also relocated to Ireland in November 2022 and found work at a restaurant on McCurtain Street in Cork.
Although Bruna had initiated a new relationship by then, interactions between her and Pacheco persisted. Text messages from Pacheco to Bruna were mentioned, with Bruna expressing her desire for him to cease contact by December 20, 2022. Events leading to the tragic incident unfolded during a Christmas Eve gathering at a relative’s residence in Cork, where Pacheco reportedly fixated on Bruna. Later, on New Year’s Eve, both Bruna and Pacheco attended an event in the city. Subsequently, Bruna visited Pacheco’s flat at about 3 a.m. to make a video call home to check on their dog.
Approximately ninety minutes later, nearby residents heard distressing screams, described as unintelligible sounds of distress. Witnesses from a restaurant and a nearby friary reported hearing the screams. Evidence presented in court included numerous text messages and phone calls. Notably, on January 1, 2023, at 5:15 a.m., Pacheco made a call to a friend stating, “Forgive me, there is no way back now.” During the call, he showed the friend a woman’s body lying on the bed beside him.
Following a report from a member of the public, the police arrived at the flat around 6 a.m. that day but received no response at the door. Subsequently, two of the deceased’s friends, alerted by the earlier commotion, encountered Pacheco outside the flat holding a bed sheet, which he later discarded in a wheelie bin. When questioned about Bruna’s well-being, Pacheco denied any involvement in her death.
Pacheco later claimed that he had experienced an anxiety attack in the apartment and alleged that Bruna had struck him in the face, leading to a struggle where he unintentionally caused her harm. A post-mortem examination conducted by Assistant State Pathologist Dr. Margaret Bolster revealed that Bruna’s cause of death was asphyxiation. Pacheco, a former engineer in Brazil, is receiving court assistance through a Portuguese interpreter, while members of Bruna’s family have traveled to Ireland for the trial.