A police officer dedicated to solving her father’s murder had a chilling message for the perpetrator when she finally apprehended him after years of pursuit.
Gislayne Silva de Deus was only nine years old when her father, Givaldo José Vicente de Deus, was viciously killed by Raimundo Gomes in 1999 over a disputed debt of $66.
Gomes shot Gislayne’s father in the head and quickly fled the scene.
As the oldest of her siblings, Gislayne was left to face the tragedy of losing their father.
Over the years, warrants for Gomes’ arrest were issued, yet justice remained elusive.
Determined to see justice served, Gislayne committed her life to capturing her father’s killer.
Initially, she pursued a career in law and later joined the police force the previous year.
She requested to be part of the homicide division, where she successfully captured Gomes.
Gomes was finally apprehended last month, allowing Gislayne to confront her father’s murderer.
The 60-year-old had been in hiding in the Nova Cidade neighborhood of Boa Vista, Brazil.
In confronting Gomes, Gislayne stated: “It’s because of me that you are here.”
She assured him that he would ‘pay’ for his actions.
Despite being sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Jury Court of the Court of Justice of Roraima for murder during a trial in absentia, Gomes remained at large until his recent capture.
Although the crime occurred in 1999, an arrest warrant was not issued until 2016, according to reports.
After his arrest, Gislayne shared: “With his arrest, I cleansed my soul and that of my entire family. It was the end of a cycle. Today we have peace and the feeling that justice was served.”
She also confessed that emotions overwhelmed her upon seeing Gomes detained.
She told Brazilian outlet G1: “When I saw the man who was responsible for my dad’s death was finally in handcuffs, I couldn’t hold back the tears. It was an explosion of feelings that turned into tears of relief, as it seemed like this day would never come.”
She further remembered her father as ‘a loving and hard-working man’.
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