Ireland Case No. 4093Murder · Co. Cork · 1 Jan 2023
Miller Pacheco murder trial: jury hears of web searches about killing and knife fighting
Miller Pacheco, 32, of Formiga, Brazil, is on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Bruna Fonseca, 28, at his flat in Liberty Street, Cork city, on New Year's Day 2023. The jury heard evidence of his phone's web history showing visits to websites about killing and knife fighting, and extensive text exchanges between the couple in the weeks before her death.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court12 Jan
10 reports - Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports134 statements extracted from the articles
- whatThe accused was on a call with his friend in Brazil when he turned his phone around to show the victim lying covered in blankets at his apartment. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused denied the murder charge. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused and the victim had been in a relationship in Brazil where she worked as a university secretary and he worked as an engineer. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim had begun dating a young Argentine man she met on an English course in Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused sent the victim 120 texts on 18 and 19 December 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whatAt a Christmas Eve party hosted by the victim's cousin, the accused was staring fixedly at her. (irishtimes.com)
- whatCCTV footage showed the accused at Mercy University Hospital on Christmas Day asking radiographers about the victim. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused went to a New Year's Eve party at the Oyster Tavern and filmed the victim dancing and kissing another man. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused contacted his friend Pedro Enrique Eduardo in Brazil that night and showed the victim covered in blankets when asked how she was. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused told gardaí that the victim started hitting him and he tried to restrain her using a move from the movies, putting his arm around her neck, and they fell between the bed and the table. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim showed the witnesses a cut to her finger from trying to take the knife away from the accused. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused did not want the victim to go to the party but went along later and spent the night following her around. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused tried to stop the witnesses entering the building but they got into the hallway and locked the door behind them. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused was arrested and taken for questioning when gardaí arrived. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMiller Pacheco is on trial for the murder of Bruna Fonseca at Liberty Street, Cork, on 1 January 2023. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatThe couple broke up within days of Pacheco's arrival in Cork. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatMarcela Fonseca, a first cousin of the deceased, has lived in Ireland since 2018. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatPedro informed Marcela that Bruna may have been killed. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatMarcela noticed Miller standing at the front door with what looked like a pillow case in his hand. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatPacheco had locked the door to the room where Bruna was. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatJuliana Souza called the garda. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatDefence senior counsel is Ray Boland. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatThe exchange between Marcela and Pacheco outside the door was in Portuguese. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatThey managed to get into the hallway but could not get inside the flat despite kicking at the door. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatWhen they went back outside, the fabric was no longer in Pacheco's hands. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatThe noise was over within a minute or two. (corkbeo.ie)
- whatMiller Pacheco moved in in November 2022 and the couple broke up within days of his arrival. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMiller was standing at the front door with what looked like a pillow case in his hand. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatBruna had been trying to arrange for Miller to go back to Brazil and was concerned he might try to self harm. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe exchange outside the door on the morning of 1 January 2023 was in Portuguese. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatPacheco was standing outside holding what looked like a white sheet, and the fabric was no longer in his hands when they went back outside. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe accused is a 32-year-old man (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused is a Brazilian national (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim Bruna Fonseca was 28 years old (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe victim found a knife in the accused's bag on 31 December and feared he was going to try to kill himself with it (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe accused was following the women around at the party (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe scream sounded like a woman screaming with her mouth covered (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco called his two best friends in Brazil on FaceTime and told them he had killed Bruna, then showed them her body. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMiller relocated to Ireland in November 2022 to be reunited with Bruna. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe couple broke up within a few days of Miller's arrival in Cork. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatKatie Silva met Miller at an English class in Cork in December 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatFriends of the accused said they were shocked and did not believe him when he told them he had killed his ex-girlfriend (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco is 32, a Brazilian national, whose full name is Miller Mizerani da Cunha Belo Pacheco (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco has denied the murder of Bruna Fonseca (28) (irishtimes.com)
- whatMr Eduardo testified via video link from Brazil with the assistance of an interpreter (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco showed them Fonseca lying on the bed, covered with a blanket up to her shoulders, with her hair falling over her face (irishtimes.com)
- whatEduardo could not identify the woman as Ms Fonseca because her hair was covering her face (irishtimes.com)
- whatThey could hear Marcela Fonseca arrive at the flat in Liberty Street in Cork with gardaí (irishtimes.com)
- whatThey stayed on the phone to Pacheco as they feared he might try to kill himself (irishtimes.com)
- whatEduardo had known Pacheco since childhood but had never seen him be violent (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco expressed regret after telling them he killed Ms Fonseca (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco said Bruna does not care about his feelings, she is very selfish, and he called her bad names (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco spoke about a young Argentinian man Ms Fonseca had started seeing (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco texted his sister telling her he had reached a decision about what he was going to do minutes before researching online how to kill people. (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco has denied the murder of his former girlfriend Bruna Fonseca at his apartment on Liberty Street, Cork, on 1 January 2023. (irishtimes.com)
- whatFive minutes after the text, Pacheco visited a website entitled 'How to Kill in Three Seconds' which gave details of the massacre of a Brazilian family in Spain. (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco's counsel said it was his instructions that Pacheco was searching how to kill someone in relation to taking his own life. (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco also carried out searches to find out the cost of repatriating a body to Brazil. (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco and Fonseca had been in a relationship for five years before she ended it. (irishtimes.com)
- whatPacheco sent Fonseca almost 2,000 texts and she sent him more than 1,500 texts between his arrival in Cork and her death. (irishtimes.com)
- whatTwo days after the 16 December text, Fonseca reiterated the relationship was over. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMiller moved to Ireland in November 2022 to be with Bruna, who had left for Ireland two months previously (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe couple split within days of his arrival in Cork after having previously broken up earlier that year (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe accused told his solicitor he had carried out a web search in relation to ending his own life (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMiller had undertaken web searches on how much it would cost to transport a body back to Brazil (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe murder occurred at the accused's apartment at Liberty Street, Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe victim had returned to live with her parents in Formiga, Minas Gerais province, south-eastern Brazil. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe death occurred at an apartment in Liberty Street, Cork city centre. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe murder occurred at the accused's apartment at Liberty Street in Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe murder took place at the accused's apartment at Liberty Street in Cork (irishtimes.com)
- whereTwo neighbours were staying at another flat in the Liberty Street building (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe murder allegedly took place at his apartment at Liberty Street in Cork (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe accused was arraigned at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork on Monday. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe victim arrived in Cork on 23 September 2022 with her niece Maria Fonseca. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe accused arrived in Cork on 18 November 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- whenPeople in the building heard a woman screaming around 4.15am. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe incident occurred on 1 January 2023. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe victim had moved to Ireland in September 2022 with her niece Maria. (irishtimes.com)
- whenAt about 6am, the victim's cousin received a phone call from the friend in Brazil saying the accused had contacted him. (irishtimes.com)
- whenMiller Pacheco moved in with Bruna in November 2022. (corkbeo.ie)
- whenJuliana Souza arrived at the house in Liberty Street shortly after 6am on 1 January 2023. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe murder occurred on 1 January 2023 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe accused arrived in Cork on 18 November (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe party was on 31 December 2022 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe murder allegedly occurred on January 1st, 2023 (irishtimes.com)
- whenFonseca came to Ireland on 23 September 2022 and Pacheco followed on 18 November 2022 in a bid to resume the relationship. (irishtimes.com)
- whenMiller arrived in Cork on 18 November 2022 and sent Bruna almost 2,000 texts until her death on 1 January 2023 (irishmirror.ie)
- causeThe Deputy State Pathologist found the victim died as a result of asphyxia. (irishtimes.com)
- causeAsphyxiation was determined to be the cause of death. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeMiller Pacheco pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bruna Fonseca. (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeHe pleaded not guilty to the murder of Bruna Fonseca at Liberty Street in Cork on 1 January 2023. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe question for the jury would be whether the accused intended to kill the victim, not whether he killed her. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury consisted of five men and seven women. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial is being heard at the Central Criminal Court in Cork. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is being heard at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case continues. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury consists of seven women and five men. (corkbeo.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is expected to last up to three weeks. (corkbeo.ie, irishmirror.ie)
- courtMiller Pacheco is on trial at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is being held at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury consists of five men and seven women (irishtimes.com)
- courtMiller Pacheco is on trial at the Central Criminal Court in Cork charged with murder. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is presided over by Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford before a jury of seven women and five men. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial is being heard at the Central Criminal Court in Cork before Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial is being held at the Central Criminal Court in Cork (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe trial will continue the following Monday (irishmirror.ie)
- otherA jury of seven women and five men was empanelled. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBruna Fonseca was a university graduate and a qualified librarian. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBruna was employed as a cleaner at Mercy University Hospital in Cork. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherMiller Pacheco was employed at a restaurant in McCurtain Street. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherBruna arrived in Ireland with her niece Maria in September 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherMiller relocated to Ireland in November 2022. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe accused recorded Bruna dancing and kissing a man at the event. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThey went to a room in Liberty Street to make a FaceTime call home to see their dog. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherAround ninety minutes later, people nearby heard loud screaming. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherGardaí called to the flat shortly after 6am on 1 January 2023 after a call from a member of the public. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherAt 6.17am, two friends of the deceased encountered the accused at the door holding a bed sheet. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherIn garda interviews, Miller claimed he had an anxiety attack in the apartment. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherHe claimed Bruna hit him in the face and that he fell on top of her. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe postmortem was completed by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherMiller is being assisted in court by a Portuguese interpreter. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe accused is a Brazilian national whose full name is Miller Misserani da Cunha Bello Pacheco. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe accused has denied the murder. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe victim and accused had been in a relationship in Brazil before splitting up, and he followed her to Ireland. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThey split up again within a few days of him joining her at a flat in Blackpool, and he moved to Liberty Street. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe accused has denied the murder charge (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe victim and the accused had been in a relationship for about five years (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe couple had been living in Sao Paulo where the victim worked in a library and the accused worked as an engineer (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe victim returned to her hometown of Formiga in Minas Gerais province when the relationship ended (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe couple resumed their relationship living together in a flat in Blackpool but it lasted only three days (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe victim did not drink much at the party, perhaps two glasses (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe accused saw the victim dancing with other men but showed no reaction (irishtimes.com)
- otherBruna was a college graduate who had trained as a librarian and was employed at Mercy University Hospital at the time of her death. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe accused man worked as an engineer before moving to Ireland. (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 16 Jan2026Man accused of murdering ex searched 'how to kill in three seconds', jury hears
Reports on a day of the murder trial where the jury heard phone-analysis evidence including web searches about killing and knife fighting, and extensive text exchanges between the couple in the weeks before the killing.
victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, non-irish (judged from name)Bruna Fonsecaaccused, Miller Pacheco, 32, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Pacheco - 16 Jan2026Miller Pacheco searched how to kill on web before death of former partner, trial hears
Trial evidence from Sgt Brian Barron on phone analysis revealing text messages to family and web searches about killing, plus background on the five-year relationship and its breakdown.
suspect, Miller Pacheco, 32, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Pachecovictim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, non-irish (judged from name)Bruna Fonseca - 15 Jan2026Murder accused’s friends shocked when he told them he killed ex-girlfriend, court hears
Testimony from friends of the accused (Pedro Enrique Eduardo, Felipe Jose Costa Peroni) and witness Katia Silva given at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork. Eduardo described how Pacheco showed them Fonseca's body on a video call; Peroni described Pacheco crying and shaking his head. Silva said Pacheco was angry on Christmas Day and spoke of wanting to kill an Argentinian man.
victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, non-irish (judged from name)Bruna Fonsecaaccused, Miller Mizerani da Cunha Belo Pacheco, 32, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Mizerani da Cunha Belo Pacheco - 15 Jan2026Court hears murder suspect showed dead ex’s body to friends on FaceTime
The court heard evidence by video link from two of Pacheco's friends in Brazil (Pedro Enrique Eduardo and Felipe Jose Costa Peroni) and Felipe's wife Ludmilia Milo Faria, who described the FaceTime call. Additional evidence was given by Katie Silva, Alamo Morais and Mercy University Hospital radiographer Barbara O'Sullivan. The trial is presided over by Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford before a jury of seven women and five men.
victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, Brazilian, non-irishBruna Fonsecaaccused, Miller Pacheco, 32, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Pacheco - 14 Jan2026Murder accused kept following his former girlfriend at New Year’s Eve party, trial hears
Trial evidence from the victim's niece Maria Fonseca describing the accused's behaviour at a New Year's Eve party the night before the murder, and from neighbours Cristina Martinescu and Lucas Leon describing sounds heard in the Liberty Street building in the early hours of 1 January 2023. The accused has denied the murder charge.
victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, Brazilian, non-irishBruna Fonsecaaccused, Miller Pacheco, 32, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Pacheco - 13 Jan2026'I choked her' - Court hears chilling words of man accused of Cork murder
Trial testimony from Bruna's cousin Marcela Fonseca describing the accused's statements at the scene, from friend Juliana Souza, and from Romanian tenant Cristina Martinescu and her Brazilian boyfriend Lucan Leon who heard a scream and later an exchange in Portuguese. Defence suggested the word used was Portuguese for 'suffocated' rather than 'choked' and that the accused was 'in shock' rather than smiling.
accused, Miller Pacheco, 31, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Pachecovictim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, Brazilian, non-irishBruna Fonseca - 13 Jan2026Murder trial hears man told cousin of Bruna Fonseca he had 'choked' her
Trial evidence from Marcela Fonseca and Juliana Souza describing their arrival at the Liberty Street flat and Pacheco's statements; also evidence from neighbours Cristina Martinescu and Lucan Leon about hearing a scream and a Portuguese-language exchange. Defence counsel Ray Boland suggested the word used was Portuguese for 'suffocated' rather than 'choked' and that Pacheco was 'in shock' rather than smiling.
victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, Brazilian, non-irishBruna Fonsecaaccused, Miller Pacheco, 31, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Pacheco - 13 Jan2026Accused told friend he killed ex-girlfriend and sent him video of her body, court hears
Trial testimony from Marcela Fonseca and Juliana Souza describing events on New Year's Eve and the morning of 1 January 2023, including the accused's phone call to his friend in Brazil, his statements to the witnesses at his flat, and his arrest. The case continues.
victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, non-irish (judged from name)Bruna Fonsecaaccused, Miller Misserani da Cunha Bello Pacheco, 32, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Misserani da Cunha Bello Pacheco - 12 Jan2026Woman allegedly killed after visiting boyfriend’s Cork flat to FaceTime dog
First report of the murder trial; jury heard prosecution outline at Central Criminal Court, Cork, on 12 January 2026.
victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, Brazilian, non-irishBruna Fonsecasuspect, Miller Pacheco, 31, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Pacheco - 12 Jan2026Man accused of murdering ex-girlfriend in Cork showed her covered in blankets while on phone to friend
Reports the arraignment and prosecution's opening of evidence at the start of the murder trial, including the phone call to a friend in Brazil, the 5.15am text, witness accounts, and the pathologist's cause of death.
victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, Brazilian, non-irishBruna Fonsecaaccused, Miller Misserani da Cunha Bello Pacheco, 32, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Misserani da Cunha Bello Pacheco