Lieutenant-Colonel Geraldo Leite Rosa Neto, a São Paulo PM officer, was arrested on March 18 for the qualified femicide of his wife, soldier Gisele Alves Santana, following forensics contradicting his suicide claim. Months earlier, he faced a probe for an alleged affair that strained their marriage. The victim's mother branded him a 'monster' and demands justice.
In a significant development in the case first reported as a suspicious death turning to homicide (see series coverage), São Paulo Justice accepted Public Ministry charges on March 18 against Lieutenant-Colonel Geraldo Leite Rosa Neto, 56, for qualified femicide in a domestic violence context and procedural fraud. He was ordered into preventive detention in São José dos Campos.
Soldier Gisele Alves Santana, 32, died on February 18 from a cranioencephalic gunshot wound after being airlifted from the couple's Brás apartment. Forensics revealed she was approached from behind, her mouth and jaw held, and shot with Neto's .40 pistol—contradicting his account of her self-inflicted shot while he showered. Blood traces in the bathroom and on his clothes further undermined his no-contact claim.
Prior to the killing, in September 2025, Neto underwent a preliminary investigation at the 49º BPM over rumors of an affair with a subordinate, including purported AI-generated images. He denied it, as did the colleague; he was transferred. Gisele's PM colleagues noted the rumors fueled her divorce considerations amid mutual distrust and fights.
Gisele's mother, Marinalva Alves, told TV Globo: 'Relieved just to see this monster locked up. To me, he was always a monster. I want justice for my daughter.' Neto's defense argues the arrest is illegal.