A Brazilian woman and mom of six who sent shockwaves after wheeling her dead uncle into a local bank to sign loan papers has finally shared her side of the story for the first time since leaving prison,RadarOnline.com has learned.
Érika de Souza, who found herself at the center of controversy after video footage emerged, said she is being falsely labeled as she fights charges of vilifying a corpse and attempted theft through fraud amid a manslaughter investigation.
Souza insisted that she is not a "monster" after police said that she was well aware that her uncle, Paulo Braga, 68, was already dead when she attempted to withdraw $3,250 from the bank in Rio de Janeiro on April 16.
Footage showed De Souza chatting with Braga as if he was still alive, offering him a cup of water at one point after holding up his head to sign the papers.
She could be heard explaining to the teller, "He doesn't say anything, that's just how he is," and mentioning to her uncle that she would take him to the hospital if he wasn't feeling well.
"She knew this fact, as he is with his head down and without any movement, however, right before entering, she holds him by the neck so that he has his head up, simulating a person alive," Civil Police Chief Fabio Souza said in a report filed with the State Public Ministry.
De Souza, in her own words, denied wrongdoing and said she is "not that person people are talking about," claiming that they've already rushed to conclusions.
"The days away from my family have been horrible, very difficult," the woman said while breaking down in tears during her interview on Sunday.
"I didn't realize my uncle was dead. It's absurd what people are saying," she continued while breaking her silence on the Brazilian weekly television news program Fantástico.
De Souza, who was released from custody on bail last Thursday, said that she was not aware that her uncle passed away until an ambulance worker confirmed his death.
"I don't know if it was the effect of the pills I had taken that day and I took from time to time. As I'm undergoing treatment I was taking a sleeping pill called Zolpidem and took more than I should have."
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She further claimed that her uncle wanted the loan to finance renovation work at the home they shared, noting he "never had any income" and that her family "always helped him."
