Luiz Garnica was accused of using rat poison to kill his wife Larissa Rodrigues – with help from his elderly mum – and allegedly went on a date with his mistress the night his wife died
A bodybuilding sports doctor accused of killing his wife with rat poison – with his elderly mum’s help – allegedly took his mistress on a cinema date just hours after she died.
Luiz Garnica, 38, was arrested on Tuesday along with his mum Elizabete Arrabaca, 67, after his wife Larissa Rodrigues, 37, was suddenly found dead in Ribeirao Preto, around 200 miles from Sao Paulo, Brazil, in March. Pilates teacher Larissa is said to have discovered her husband was cheating on her in the months before her death. A photo of the husband with his lover was sent to police by an anonymous tipster, leading him to confess the cheating to cops.
Cops said the image of the cheating pair in a “public place” led Garnica to admit he had spent the night, after his wife died, with the unnamed lover. The doctor told police he found his wife of 18 years lifeless in their bathroom after returning home.
Garnica and his mum were arrested after toxicology tests showed traces of chumbinho, a pesticide used for agriculture which has been illegally sold as a household rat poison in Brazil, following an initial inconclusive post-mortem.
Larissa allegedly found out her husband had been cheating for around 18 months after she discovered sex toys in his car. Her cousin, in a statement to the police, said Larissa told her about the doctor’s trip to São Paulo and that she suspected he had not travelled alone. Larissa said she tried to video call him, but he did not answer her.
According to police documents, days later Larissa went to the address of the woman Garnica was having an affair with and filmed her husband entering the building. She allegedly confronted him with this video but Globo.com reports Garnica denied being with her and said Larissa was going crazy.
The cousin also told detectives the wife became sick after eating soups her mother-in-law made, but police have not confirmed this.
Arrabaca was identified locally as the last person to see Larissa before her death, but she has denied any wrongdoing. Police chief Fernando Bravo said: “We managed to speak to a witness who told us Larissa’s mother-in-law was looking for chumbinho to buy around 15 days before her death. That makes us suspect she, along with her son, killed Larissa.”
Police confiscated the phone of the victim as well as Garnica’s and Arrabaca’s as part of their investigation. Based on the arrests and the material extracted from the devices, Bravo said he hopes to clarify the motive for the crime.
According to Bravo, there is a suspicion that Garnica’s lover helped provide an alibi for the doctor, a theory which is still under investigation.
In a public outpouring of grief he posted online after Larissa’s death, Garnica said: “I love you, wherever you are. Know that you have made me the dearest, happiest and most loved man in the world and I want to always be your best friend, boyfriend, husband, companion, the love of your whole life, just as you are of mine.”