Brazilian Beauty Queen Murdered by Family Friend After Rejecting His Romantic Advances

Raissa Suellen was 23 and was Miss Serra Branca (BA) Teen.

A 23-year-old beauty queen was allegedly strangled to death by a longtime family friend who lured her under false pretenses, confessed his love for her, and then killed her in a fit of rage when she rejected him.

Marcelo Alves, 40, an aspiring comedian known by his stage name Alves Li Pernambuco, is accused of murdering Raissa da Silva after tricking her into visiting his home in Curitiba, Brazil. On June 2, video footage showed da Silva waving goodbye to her family as she entered Alves’ vehicle under the impression they were headed to a job opportunity in Sorocaba.

Raissa Suellen Ferreira da Silva

Instead, they went to lunch before returning to Alves' home, where he admitted he was in love with her. According to Paraná Civil Police chief Aline Manzatto, da Silva was visibly upset and insulted him. Alves, in a state of anger, allegedly strangled her, left her lifeless body in one room, and stepped away for 10 minutes. When he returned, she was dead.

Comedian Marcelo Alves, who is known on stage as Alves Li Pernambuco, told police that he lured Raissa da Silva to his home after promising her that he had found a her job

He then wrapped her body in a tarp, sealed it with duct tape, and contacted his son, Dhony, who urged him to surrender. Instead, Alves borrowed a friend’s vehicle, and with Dhony’s help, transported and buried da Silva’s body in a forest in Araucária, approximately 18 miles from Curitiba.

On June 10, Alves walked into a police station in Curitiba and confessed to the killing. He also sent an audio message to da Silva’s sister admitting to the crime, according to the family’s attorney. Police said Alves led officers to the burial site and provided the location of the body.

Alves said that da Silva got upset and insulted him before he strangled her

Raissa da Silva, originally from Paulo Afonso, met Alves at the age of 10 through a martial arts class he taught. Considered a father figure by the young woman, Alves remained close to the family for years. Da Silva was crowned Miss Serra Branca Teen in 2020 and had been working as a model in Curitiba, where she had lived for the past three years.

Her cousin, Herbert Guilherme, revealed that Alves pretended to help with the search after her disappearance. “He lied the whole time. He kept saying he was going to help me find her,” Guilherme said.

Raissa da Silva, 23, was found dead Monday in a wooded area in the southern city of Araucária. The 23-year-old was murdered by family friend and up-and-coming comedian Marcelo Alves on June 2 at his apartment in Curitiba

Alves remains in custody on charges of homicide and concealment of a body. His son, Dhony, was charged with concealment of a corpse but was released after posting bail.

Defense attorney Caio Percival described the killing as a “crime of passion,” noting Alves had no prior criminal record. “Unfortunately, he was dragged by passion into this situation that is clearly out of the ordinary,” Percival said.

Raissa da Silva was crowned Miss Serra Branca Teen in 2020