Rio trial for kill accused

ACCUSED murderer Marcelo Santoro will stand trial in Rio over the death of his ex-lover Cecilia Haddad, after a Brazilian judge yesterday ruled there was sufficient evidence to push forward with femicide charges.

Santoro will face a jury trial and up to 30 years in jail if found guilty of murdering Ms Haddad in April last year and dumping her body in Sydney’s Lane Cove River.

Although Santoro left Australia shortly after Ms Haddad’s murder, in what police allege was an attempt to avoid extradition proceedings, authorities in Rio are prosecuting him for the overseas murder of a fellow Brazilian citizen.

They have been supported with a dossier of evidence from NSW Police.

Santoro was remanded in maximum security custody pending trial.