Elize Matsunaga confessed to killing her husband Marcos Kitano Matsunaga in 2012, shocking Brazil. She shot and dismembered him after discovering his infidelity. A trained nurse, she hired a private investigator to gather evidence of the affair before confronting him, leading to fatal consequences. She initially reported him missing but confessed weeks later.
Sentencing and Parole
Convicted in 2016, Matsunaga was sentenced to almost 20 years in prison, later reduced to 16 years in 2019. After serving 10 years, she has been on parole since 2022. The Netflix documentary Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime revealed that the Matsunaga family wishes to disassociate themselves by removing Elize's surname.
The Daughter's Custody
Matsunaga had a daughter who was one year old when the murder occurred. The child remains in the full custody of Marcos' parents. Elize has had no contact with her daughter since the crime and has not even seen photographs of her.
Netflix Dramatization
Netflix's new crime drama Elize: Shadows of a Woman is a fictionalised retelling of the case. The series explores how a former escort discovers her wealthy husband's infidelity and struggles to cope as betrayal poisons their marriage, according to Netflix. It follows the 2021 documentary that featured her first interview after the crime.
