Amazon Prime's latest true-crime sensation has gripped audiences with its deep dive into one of the Americas' most infamous prisons - the very same facility where former footballer Robinho is currently serving his sentence.
The Notorious Inmates of Tremembé Prison
This high-security Brazilian institution has become known for housing some of the country's most high-profile criminals, creating an environment where wealth, influence and notoriety collide behind bars. The documentary series focuses on five infamous figures who shared the prison simultaneously, revealing not only their crimes but the dramatic power struggles and alliances that defined their incarcerated lives.
Five Chilling Cases That Shocked Brazil
Suzane von Richthofen: The Heiress Who Orchestrated Her Parents' Murder
In 2002, 18-year-old Suzane von Richthofen, heiress to a wealthy São Paulo family descended from the Red Baron, masterminded the brutal murder of her parents Manfred and Marísia von Richthofen. With help from her boyfriend Daniel Cravinhos and his brother Christian, the trio bludgeoned the couple to death in their own home.
Investigators determined that greed and rebellion motivated Suzane, who sought to inherit the family fortune. She received a 39-year prison sentence and quickly established herself as a 'prison queen', known for her intelligence and ability to manipulate the prison's social hierarchy.
Elize Matsunaga: The Wife Who Dismembered Her Husband
In May 2012, Elize Matsunaga shot her husband Marcos Matsunaga, a 42-year-old executive at the Yoki food company, after discovering his infidelity. Using a .380 pistol he had taught her to handle, she killed him before dismembering his body and transporting the remains in bags from their penthouse.
CCTV footage captured her movements, and mobile phone data helped police trace her disposal route. Elize, who had moved from nursing to sex work before meeting Marcos online, claimed the murder culminated years of abuse. After a seven-day trial in 2012, she received a 20-year sentence for qualified homicide and concealing the body.
Isabella Nardoni: The Child Murder That Outraged a Nation
The 2008 death of five-year-old Isabella Nardoni, who fell from the sixth floor of her father's apartment, sparked national outrage. Forensic evidence revealed she had been suffocated before the fall, and crime scene tampering suggested a cover-up.
Her father Alexandre Nardoni and stepmother Anna Carolina Jatobá were convicted of murder after a high-profile trial. Despite their convictions and lengthy prison sentences, both continue to maintain their innocence in one of Brazil's most publicised child murder cases.
Roger Abdelmassih: The Fertility Doctor Turned Serial Predator
Once a celebrated fertility specialist responsible for thousands of births through IVF, Roger Abdelmassih's horrific crimes emerged when patients began reporting assaults during sedated procedures in the 1990s and 2000s.
After accusations surfaced on Orkut in 2006, police investigations intensified, with over 60 victims coming forward across three states. In 2010, he was convicted of 37 rapes and four attempted assaults, receiving a 181-year sentence. He briefly escaped to Paraguay in 2011 before being recaptured by Federal Police in 2014.
Sandra 'Sandrão': The Prison Leader and Child Killer
Known as the undisputed leader within Tremembé prison, Sandra 'Sandrão' gained notoriety for her influence and relationships with other inmates, including marriages to both Elize Matsunaga and Suzane von Richthofen.
Her crime involved the 2008 abduction and murder of 14-year-old Talisson Vinicius da Silva Castro, driven by jealousy of his family's apparent prosperity. After the boy attempted escape during the three-day kidnapping, Sandra's accomplices killed him with a bullet to the head. She received a 27-year sentence, later reduced to 24 years.
The Legacy of Brazil's Most Notorious Prison
These cases represent just a fraction of the shocking stories emerging from Brazil's prison system, where celebrity status and criminal notoriety create a unique social dynamic behind bars. The Amazon Prime documentary continues to draw attention to how wealth and influence operate even within prison walls, while reminding viewers of the devastating crimes that landed these individuals in what has become known as South America's 'celebrity prison'.
