A couple has been sentenced to jail for raping, burning, and strangling a female clown before burying her alive. The victim, known as Julieta or “Jujuba” in her clown persona, was traveling with a feminist performance group from Brazil to Venezuela. She disappeared after staying overnight in Presidente Figueiredo. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave near a guest house owned by the perpetrators, who were identified through her bicycle parts found on the property.
According to the police, the assailant, Thiago Agles da Silva, under the influence of crack, attacked Julieta as she slept in a hammock, bound her, and forced his girlfriend, Deliomara dos Anjos Santos, to drag her to the kitchen. Da Silva then sexually assaulted Julieta, while Santos set her on fire after dousing her with alcohol. Although Julieta survived the fire, she was subsequently strangled with a rope and buried behind the house.
Santos, 29, has been sentenced to 37 years, 11 months, and 10 days in prison, while Da Silva, 32, received a 41-year and three-month sentence. They were found guilty of robbery, murder, and concealing a corpse in the death of Julieta Ines Hernandez Martinez, a Venezuelan circus performer killed on December 23, 2023, during her Amazon journey.
The case gained notoriety when Santos posted a disturbing picture of herself wearing Julieta’s red-and-black crop top, later confirmed to belong to the victim. The same top was found among Julieta’s belongings after the couple led the police to the location where they had hidden her things.
Julieta’s disappearance triggered a frantic search after losing contact with her family and friends. Her abandoned bicycle was discovered two weeks later by a passerby. The couple, who have five children together, confessed to the crime during police interrogation.
Colleagues paid tribute to Julieta as a brave artist who spread joy across Brazil with her clown performances. Her feminist clown group, Circo di SoLadies, mourned her loss and highlighted the dangers faced by women traveling alone in Brazil following her tragic death.
This femicide case has become one of Brazil’s most appalling incidents, underscoring the risks encountered by women traveling solo in the country.
