<p>Brazilian goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes de Souza has been sentenced to 22 years in jail for ordering the murder of estranged girlfriend Eliza Samudio in 2010.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The ex-Flamengo player was found guilty by a jury of five women and two men at a court in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais state Friday. He was also convicted of hiding the model's body and kidnapping the couple's son, reports Xinhua.<br /><br />Despite admitting to knowing that Samudio had been strangled and her remains fed to dogs, Fernandes denied ordering the assassination. Defence lawyers said they would appeal the decision.<br /><br />Fernandes had already been convicted of kidnapping Samudio and forcing her to terminate her pregnancy for which he had served a prison term of four years and six months.<br /><br />"I expected more. They made it easy on him," the victim's mother, Eliza Silva Samudio, said.<br /><br />The judge said Fernandes' sentence was reduced due to his confession. The 28-year-old was captain of the Flamengo outfit that won the Brazil Serie A title in 2009 and was reportedly a contender for a berth in Brazil's national team.<br /><br />"These crimes received a lot of attention not only because one of the defendants was a famous football player but also because of the plot that they involved and because of the mystery of where the victim's remains were hidden," Judge Marixa Fabiane Lopes Rodrigues said.</p>
<p>Brazilian goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes de Souza has been sentenced to 22 years in jail for ordering the murder of estranged girlfriend Eliza Samudio in 2010.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The ex-Flamengo player was found guilty by a jury of five women and two men at a court in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais state Friday. He was also convicted of hiding the model's body and kidnapping the couple's son, reports Xinhua.<br /><br />Despite admitting to knowing that Samudio had been strangled and her remains fed to dogs, Fernandes denied ordering the assassination. Defence lawyers said they would appeal the decision.<br /><br />Fernandes had already been convicted of kidnapping Samudio and forcing her to terminate her pregnancy for which he had served a prison term of four years and six months.<br /><br />"I expected more. They made it easy on him," the victim's mother, Eliza Silva Samudio, said.<br /><br />The judge said Fernandes' sentence was reduced due to his confession. The 28-year-old was captain of the Flamengo outfit that won the Brazil Serie A title in 2009 and was reportedly a contender for a berth in Brazil's national team.<br /><br />"These crimes received a lot of attention not only because one of the defendants was a famous football player but also because of the plot that they involved and because of the mystery of where the victim's remains were hidden," Judge Marixa Fabiane Lopes Rodrigues said.</p>