Suzane von Richthofen

Suzane Louise von Richthofen (born November 3, 1983)[2] is a Brazilian who was convicted of murdering her parents on October 31, 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 40 years in prison.

Suzane von Richthofen
A sketch of Von Richthofen
Born (1983-11-03) November 3, 1983
São Paulo, Brazil
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Spouse(s)
Rogério Olberg
​
(m. 2017)​
[1]
Parent(s)Manfred Albert von Richthofen
Marisia von Richthofen
MotiveWish to inherit her parents' fortune
Conviction(s)Patricide, matricide
Criminal penalty40 years

Life

Suzane von Richthofen is the daughter of the late German engineer Manfred Albert von Richthofen and Lebanese-Brazilian psychiatrist Marisia von Richthofen (née Marísia Sílvia Abdalla),[3] and an allegedly distant relative of the famous Red Baron.[4] 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.[5] Suzane 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 started attending a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class and there she met Daniel Cravinhos de Paula e Silva, who became her boyfriend.

Suzane's family had a R$5.5 million declared net worth. 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. Manfred von Richthofen is thought to have embezzled this money from DERSA. Nothing prevents Suzane from gaining access to the money after serving her sentence.[6][7]

Murder

In the late hours of October 31, 2002, Suzane von Richthofen, who had planned the murder of her parents for months, checked if they were already asleep, then disconnected the alarm system of the estate and opened the door to her 21-year-old-boyfriend, Daniel Cravinhos and his brother, 26-year-old Christian Cravinhos, who had been waiting outside. The Cravinhos brothers went upstairs to the parents' bedroom and hit them with iron bars before strangling them with towels. Suzane was waiting in the living room downstairs. After the murder was accomplished, the three simulated a break-in by pocketing money they found, spreading papers in the library, and creating a mess in the house. Then they left; Suzane and Daniel went to a motel, while Christian went to a fast-food restaurant. Early in the morning, Suzane and Daniel picked up her little brother, Andreas, then aged 15, at an internet cafe and went home, where they "discovered" the crime, called the police at once and told them their story.[8]

The investigating officers, however, 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. What made them suspicious was not only the crime scene, with the alarm system switched off and the papers spread very regularly, as if by design, 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. The investigators focused their attention on Suzane and her boyfriend and began shadowing them. The arrest was prompted by Christian Cravinhos, who had bought a motorcycle a few days later and paid cash in 100-dollar bills, which aroused suspicion based on his normal income levels. A few days later, on November 9, 2002 he was arrested, as well as his brother and Suzane, who soon confessed to the murder.[9] Suzane was released from prison in May 2005, when the Supreme Court of Justice granted her habeas corpus. She then awaited her trial under house arrest.[10]

Motives

Suzane's parents, who at first allowed her relationship to Daniel Cravinhos, changed their opinion when they discovered that he used marijuana almost daily. They were reportedly also concerned by his lower-class background and his unwillingness to work or to attend school. In July, 2002, her parents were on vacation, so Daniel moved in with the children for a month, much to Suzane's delight. When the parents came back home, Suzane suggested they buy her a flat in which she could live with Daniel, but her father refused, saying that she could do whatever she liked to only if she earned money herself.[9] She continued meeting Daniel secretly. Suzane claimed that her actions were movitated by love, and a fear that Daniel would leave her if the parents were not killed.[11] 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.

Another part of the motive may have been the parents' wealth, estimated at about seventeen million dollars, which Suzane would inherit in the event of the parents' death. As Prosecutor Roberto Tardelli put it, Suzane wanted to "get her hands on the money and assets her parents had worked so hard to obtain"; she "wanted her freedom and independence without having to work for it".[4] On trial, Daniel Cravinhos claimed that Suzane was physically violated by her father, which she and her brother Andreas von Richthofen deny. It was also claimed that the Richthofen parents were alcoholics, but in the autopsy no alcohol was detected in their bodies.[9]

In 2018, a justice denied request of freedom for von Richthofen, citing her egocentrism and a narcissistic personality disorder as serious personality traits that may have led to her crime.[12]

Trial

On June 5, 2006, Suzane von Richthofen, along with the Cravinhos brothers, was put on trial in São Paulo for homicídio qualificado, the equivalent of First Degree Murder in Brazilian law. The trial was delayed and finally started on July 17. On trial, Suzane blamed Daniel Cravinhos for everything, while the Cravinhos brothers claimed that they acted on her wishes. Prosecutor Roberto Tardelli, however, called Suzane the "mastermind"[4] of the crime. Roberto Tardelli called for 50 years imprisonment for each of the three defendants. Suzane was described as a "personification of the evil blonde".[13] On July 22, 2006, Suzane was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the crime. Daniel Cravinhos got the same sentence and his brother Christian was sentenced to 38 years for conspiracy.[14]

As of February 2020, she is in custody in a women's prison outside São Paulo.

Brazilian public attention

The case generated significant media attention in Brazil due to the stark contrast between the brutal crime and what was initially perceived to be the personality of the daughter. While the Cravinhos brothers fit the stereotype of the uneducated, unemployed, drug-addicted killers, this was not true for Suzane: She was a pretty girl from an upper-middle-class family of German and Lebanese descent, "well-behaved", always doing well at school, speaking three foreign languages and doing ballet.[14] A discussion emerged in the Brazilian public about the worth of family values and the effects of education: Does a high standard of education and high class status lead to good character? The question as to whether Suzane was the evil mind behind the crime or just Daniel's tool was also widely discussed. Susane's reputation was severely damaged by a TV interiew in which a hot mic before the interview started, captured her lawyer instructing her to cry out loud during the broadcast, to create public sympathy.[13] The interview dealt a major blow to her credibility. In court, Suzane's behaviour was reported as 'cold', at one occasion laughing, which stood in contrast to the Cravinhos brothers who were emotional, and visibly crying during the trial.

The book Richtofen: O assassinato dos pais de Suzane, by Roger Franchini, was published in 2011. The work describes the murder and the subsequent events.[15]

The book Suzane - Assassina e manipuladora, by Ullisses Campbell, was published in 2020. This book is more focused in the life of Suzane von Richtofen and her psychological profile.[16]

The 2020 Brazilian films A menina que matou os pais and O menino que matou meus pais are two different depictions of the crime. Brazilian actress Carla Diaz portrays Suzane von Richtofen in both films.[17]

References
  1. "Suzane Richthofen se casa dentro da cadeia. Com uma sequestradora". Veja (in Portuguese). News Corp. October 28, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  2. Suzane briga por perfumes, roupas e pelúcias (in Portuguese)
  3. (in Portuguese) Último Segundo Archived July 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Red Baron heiress killed parents". BBC News. 2006-07-23. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  5. "UOL Últimas Notícias – Filha de diretor da Dersa confessa assassinato dos pais 08/11/2002 – 14h18". noticias.uol.com.br. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  6. "Feliz aniversário, Suzane!" Istoé Brasil 15 November 2006 (in Portuguese)
  7. "Promotor faz revelações exclusivas sobre o caso Richthofen" Archived 2013-04-07 at Archive.today redetv.com.br 31 October 2012 (in Portuguese)
  8. "Monstro em casa". Revistaepoca.globo.com (in Portuguese). 2002-11-08. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  9. "No rastro de Suzane" (in Portuguese). Revistaepoca.globo.com. 2002-12-06. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  10. "Monstro em casa". Revistaepoca.globo.com (in Portuguese). 2006-05-26. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  11. "Suzane von Richthofen muss wegen Elternmordes hinter Gitter" Handelsblatt (in German)
  12. "Justice denies request for freedom of Suzane von Richtofen". ampost.com.br. September 12, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  13. Downie, Andrew (2006-07-24). "Daughter jailed as society murder trial shocks Brazil". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  14. Wolfgang Kunath (2006-07-24). "Elternmord und Leidenschaft". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  15. "Richtofen: O assassinato dos pais de Suzane". Amazon. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  16. "Suzane - Assassina e manipuladora". Amazon. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  17. Eduardo F. Filho (18 September 2019). "Caso Richthofen será tema de dois filmes com estreias simultâneas" (in Portuguese). Veja. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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