'Flordelis: A Family Crime,' a riveting docuseries that chronicles the brutal killing of Brazilian evangelical pastor Anderson do Carmo in June 2019. The investigation soon revealed a shocking assassination plot devised by his wife, Flordelis dos Santos de Souza. The investigation discovers how she conspired with her biological children and many of the couple's adopted children to murder the pastor.
Flordelis dos Santos de Souza, who is she?
Flordelis dos Santos de Souza was born on February 5, 1961, to Francisco dos Santos and Carmozina Motta dos Santos, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her father and older brother died in a car accident. She later wed the couple and had three children.
Flordelis, a 32-year-old businesswoman, had taken five street children under her wing in 1993. Anderson do Carmo, a sweet teenager, left his family and began living with Flordelis and her children as an unofficial adoptee. He briefly dated Flordelis' biological daughter Simone, but affection soon developed between him and the pastor. In 1994, she adopted 37 children from the streets and raised them, gaining respect in the community.
Flordelis and Anderson wed in 1998; the following year, they established the Flordelis Evangelical Ministry, which grew thousands of followers in the community. The former also launched her musical career and appeared in a film about herself in 2003. By 2019, the couple had 55 adoptees, 51 of whom were adopted.
Flordelis was a federal deputy in 2018 after winning the parliamentary election. On June 16, 2019, Anderson was brutally shot down in his garage at home. Flordelis prayed for her beloved husband's death and conducted a public funeral. Two days later, the cops arrested her biological son, Flávio dos Santos Rodrigues, and one of her adopted sons, Lucas Cézar dos Santos Souza.
Former adoptees of Flordelis and Anderson had reported the pastor's death to the authorities within 24 hours. Flávio confessed to shooting Anderson six times, but he recanted his testimony a bit later and said he was innocent. On the other hand, Lucas admitted that he had purchased the rifle used in the shooting.
Flordelis plotted to kidnap Anderson six times, yet he fought each of her attempts without his knowledge.
Flordelis allegedly forged a fake letter to the authorities, inciting a murder on one of her adopted children in August 2020. Despite her parliamentary immunity, she was unable to be apprehended.
What happened to Flordelis dos Santos de Souza today?
Flordelis dos Santos de Souza was imprisoned and put in jail the same month for masterminding her husband's assassination. Simone supported this claim in August 2021.
Flordelis was found guilty of triple-qualified murder, attempted double-qualified murder, and armed criminal association in November 2022. According to current records, Flordelis is sentenced to fifty years in prison but plans to appeal her conviction shortly.
