Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 3938Murder · Co. Cork · 1 Jan 2023

Miller Pacheco sentenced to life for murder of Bruna Fonseca in Cork

Miller Pacheco, 32, a Brazilian man, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Central Criminal Court in Cork on 23 January 2026 for the murder of his former girlfriend Bruna Fonseca, 28, whom he strangled at his apartment on Liberty Street, Cork, in the early hours of 1 January 2023, after weeks of persistent contact following their break-up.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced31 Jan
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
17 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatBruna Fonseca was a 28-year-old Brazilian woman living in Cork (irishtimes.com)
  • whatMiller Pacheco was a 32-year-old Brazilian man (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe couple had been in a relationship for five years (irishtimes.com)
  • whatPacheco strangled Bruna to death at his apartment on Liberty Street in Cork (irishtimes.com)
  • whatGardaí found almost 2,000 text messages from Pacheco and more than 1,500 replies from Bruna (irishtimes.com)
  • whatAssistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster found more than 65 bruise injuries including two marks on her neck (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe injuries were consistent with manual strangulation from the front (irishtimes.com)
  • whatBruna's family included older sisters Fernanda and Izabel and parents Tadeu Jose Fonseca and Marin dos Reis Palhares Fonseca (irishtimes.com)
  • whatBruna obtained a degree in library studies at Formiga Centro Universitario (irishtimes.com)
  • whatPacheco had obtained his engineering degree at Universidade de Franca in São Paulo (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe relationship began in Formiga, a city in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil (irishtimes.com)
  • whenBruna arrived in Cork on 23 September 2022 with her niece Maria Luiza Fonseca (irishtimes.com)
  • whenPacheco arrived in Cork on 18 November 2022 (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe murder occurred in the early hours of 1 January 2023 (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe jury took 62 minutes to deliver a unanimous guilty verdict (irishtimes.com)
  • courtMs Justice Siobhán Lankford imposed the mandatory life sentence (irishtimes.com)
  • sentencePacheco was sentenced to life imprisonment on 23 January 2026 (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 31 Jan2026
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, follow-up
    Anatomy of an obsession: the end of a relationship and the murder of Bruna Fonseca

    Detailed feature article covering the full history of the five-year relationship, the trial evidence including nearly 2,000 text messages and recorded conversations, the postmortem findings of over 65 bruise injuries consistent with manual strangulation, the 62-minute jury deliberation, and the mandatory life sentence imposed by Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford.

    victim, Bruna Fonseca, 28, female, Brazilian, non-irishBruna Fonsecaconvicted, Miller Pacheco, 32, male, Brazilian, named, non-irishMiller Pacheco