Thaís Bonatti, 30, was cycling to her restaurant job when former judge Fernando Augusto Fontes Rodrigues Júnior, 61, allegedly slammed straight into her with a naked woman on his lap
A young comedian has died after a former judge allegedly drove drunk with a naked woman on his lap – then slammed into the victim with his pickup truck.
Thaís Bonatti, 30, was cycling to her restaurant job in Araçatuba, Brazil, when 61-year-old Fernando Augusto Fontes Rodrigues Júnior – a retired civil court judge now working as a lawyer – allegedly crashed straight into her. Bonatti was left with devastating injuries, including a traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures. She underwent two emergency surgeries that same day, suffering two cardiac arrests during the first. Despite doctors’ efforts, Bonatti tragically died two days later, on Saturday.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows Rodrigues moments earlier, parked near a supermarket, with a woman – believed to be a sex worker – nude and attempting to get off his lap. Seconds later the truck lurched forwards. By the time police arrived, the woman had dressed and fled the scene. Rodrigues, meanwhile, was said to smell of alcohol, slur his words and struggle to stay on his feet.
He was arrested and charged with manslaughter – but walked free the next day after paying 40,000 Brazilian reais (around £5,500) in bail. “At that time, I was looking for a coffin for my sister,” Bonatti’s brother, William de Andrade, told local outlet TV TEM. “He paid bail and left. He would certainly be sleeping with his family at that time, and I was at the hospital going through the formalities for my sister to be buried.”
Rodrigues had just left a nightclub when the crash happened, according to police. His family later issued a statement expressing sympathy: “Dr. Fernando’s family expresses its deepest condolences and solidarity with the victim’s family, reaffirming its absolute respect for their pain and mourning.”
His legal team added that he is unable to speak to the press, saying: “This silence is not only a legal obligation but also a sign of respect.”
Bonatti, known for her stand-up performances in São Paulo state, was described by her brother as bright and full of life. “She wasn’t mean, 30 years old with the mind of a 20-year-old, besides being a happy and hard-working girl,” he said. “This pain we are going through is very difficult, only God can help us bear it.”
Tributes have poured in across social media. A friend of Bonatti’s wrote: “I love you my friend. On Tuesday when you sent me messages saying you missed me, it was a farewell.”