Suzane Louise von Richthofen (born 3 November 1983) is a Brazilian woman who was convicted of murdering her parents on 31 October 2002 with the help of her boyfriend and his brother. She was put on trial in São Paulo in July 2006 and was sentenced to 39 years and 6 months in prison. She was released from prison on parole in 2023.
Life
Suzane von Richthofen is the daughter of the German engineer Manfred Albert von Richthofen (from Erbach an der Donau, Baden-Württemberg) and the Brazilian psychiatrist Marisia von Richthofen (née Abdalla, of Lebanese and Italian descent) and allegedly a distant relative of the World War I flying ace Manfred von Richthofen. Her father was a director of DERSA, a state-owned company which manages São Paulo's highway system, and the chief engineer for the Mário Covas beltway project. She has a younger brother, Andreas Albert von Richthofen. After graduating from a German high school, Suzane studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo. In the summer of 1999, she met Daniel Cravinhos de Paula e Silva, who had been instructing her brother in flying model airplanes. Soon after, they began a relationship and took part in activities together, including attending a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class.
The Richtofens had a declared net worth of R$5.5 million. However, prosecutors suspect that two anonymous accounts in Swiss banks, containing at least €10 million, were opened by Suzane's father in her name in November 2001, when she turned 18. Suzane's father is thought to have embezzled this money from DERSA. Nothing prevents Suzane from gaining access to the money after serving her sentence.
Murder
In the late hours of 31 October 2002, Suzane, who had planned the murder of her parents for months, disconnected the alarm system of the family's estate upon confirming they were asleep. She opened the door to her boyfriend, Daniel Cravinhos (21), and his brother, Christian Cravinhos (26), who had been waiting outside. The Cravinhos brothers entered the parents' bedroom and struck them with iron bars before strangling them with towels, while Suzane waited in the living room downstairs. With the murders accomplished, the three staged a break-in by pocketing money they found and making a mess around the house. Suzane and Daniel then went to a love hotel while Christian ate at a fast-food restaurant. Early in the morning, Suzane and Daniel picked up her little brother, Andreas, at an internet cafe and went home, where they "discovered" the crime scene, called the police and told them their story.
However, investigating officers had doubts that the crime was a burglary and suspected that the perpetrators were known to the victims; they soon began to question the children and the employees of the Richthofen family. Suspicions were raised not only by certain details of the crime scene and the disconnected alarm system, but also Suzane's cold behaviour – she was seen in the house's swimming pool with Daniel the day after the murder and celebrated her 19th birthday with friends just hours after the parents' burial. Investigators began shadowing Suzane and Daniel. They also learned that Christian had bought a motorcycle a few days after the murders and had paid cash in R$100 bills, well above his normal income levels. A few days later, on 9 November 2002, he, Daniel and Suzane were all arrested; Suzane soon confessed to the murder.
Suzane was released from prison in May 2005, when the Supreme Federal Court granted her habeas corpus. She then awaited her trial under house arrest.
Motives
Suzane's parents, who initially allowed her to date Daniel, changed their opinion when they discovered he was a habitual marijuana user, was unwilling to work or attend school and came from a lower-class background. In July 2002, while Suzane's parents were on vacation, Daniel moved into the house for a month. When the parents returned, Suzane suggested they buy her a flat in which she could live with Daniel. Her father refused, saying that she could do whatever she liked only if she earned money herself. Suzane continued meeting Daniel secretly. She claimed that her actions were motivated by love, and a fear that Daniel would leave her if the parents were not killed. Her lawyer, Denivaldo Barni, said that Suzane had no motive at all, but was forced to the crime by Daniel, whom she adored like a god.