The defense countered the delegate’s argument. “At no point did Erika declare that she was Mr. Paulo’s caregiver nor did she carry out this activity. Witnesses who reported at police headquarters say that she cared for Mr. Paulo when accompanying him, not that she was a caregiver.”
Ana Carla also states that these witnesses “are people completely removed from the family bond, being people who are strangers to the family relationship”. The lawyer says she will formally contest the manslaughter investigation.
Psychiatric problems
Erika had psychiatric problems and abused prescription drugs, says son. “She took medication to sleep. But she was abusing these medications and was moving between reality and hallucinations,” said firefighter Lucas Nunes dos Santos, 27, Erika’s son, in an interview with UOL. The problem had already been reported by lawyer Ana Carla de Souza, who represents her.
Mother was drugged and disoriented when she reported the death over the phone, still in the bank, says Lucas. “She called crying and said: ‘my uncle passed away, we are at the bank’. But she couldn’t speak coherently, she seemed disoriented. As she was drugged, I couldn’t understand her properly”, said Erika’s son, citing the death of Paulo Roberto Braga, 68.
Paulo’s health condition reportedly worsened after hospitalization. “He was fine before being admitted. My mother visited him every day. Afterwards, he came back weak. It was something very sudden,” said Lucas. The elderly man had “unspecified pneumonia” dependent on oxygen and was hospitalized from April 8 to 15 at the Bangu UPA, according to the medical record. He died a day after being discharged from hospital.
