A doctor facing an inquiry for murdering her lover was reportedly told by her husband to erase a video documenting the incident, Brazilian officials have disclosed.
Ivan Bonotto, aged 35, suffered a stabbing on March 22 at a bar in Sorriso, Mato Grosso, which is owned by the gynecologist’s partner. He eventually died from cardiac arrest on April 13.
After the incident, Bonotto was taken to Sorriso Regional Hospital. Dr. Sabrina de Mello arrived at the facility just four minutes post-admission, as stated by the Mato Grosso Civil Police.
Dr. de Mello, a mother-of-two, was dressed in scrubs and told security that she was there to visit Bonotto, whom she described as a friend.
The physician was seen on video walking behind the hospital staff as they hurried him to the operating room and deleting text messages and the footage of the fight that Bonotto recorded on his cell phone.
Dr. de Mello told investigators that she erased the messages and video because she was looking to ‘protect the victim.’
On Tuesday, authorities arrested Dr. de Mello, on a procedural fraud charge. Tacca was taken into custody for masterminding the attack while his friend, local businessman Danilo Guimarães, was arrested for killing Bonotto.
Bonotto was a good friend of Tacca and often stayed at the family residence.
Authorities in Sorriso, Brazil revealed that Dr. Sabrina de Mello (pictured) was ordered by her husband, Gabriel Tacca, to visit her wounded alleged lover Ivan Bonotto at Sorriso Regional Hospital on March 22 and to delete footage of the staged fight between Tacca and his friend, Danilo Guimarães, whom Tacca hired to kill Bonotto. Bonotto died on April 13
Ivan Bonotto (pictured) was invited to stay at the home of his friend Gabriel Tacca on multiple occasions before he became romantically involved with Tacca’s wife, Dr. Sabrina de Mello. Tacca discovered the relationship and plotted Bonotto’s murder
A surveillance camera mounted in the garage of Dr. Sabrina de Mello’s home showed her and her lover, Ivan Bonotto, kissing on March 9, two weeks before he was stabbed
A selfie taken by Dr. de Mello showed Bonotto drinking a beer and a smiling Tacca in the background.
‘Thanks for the visit,’ the doctor’s caption read.
Two other captions read: ‘They go, I don’t’ and ‘Excellent company.’
Another photo taken by the gynecologist showed her, Bonotto and Tacca at a pool.
Surveillance video footage showed Bonotto visiting the home March 9 and kissing the doctor in the garage.
They spent some time inside the residence before they walked out and kissed again.
After learning that one of his closest friends and his wife were romantically involved, Tacca lured Bonotto to his bar, where he and Guimarães faked the scene of a fight, which Bonotto is said to have captured on video.
At one point, Guimarães attacked Bonotto and stabbed him multiple times.
Dr. de Mello posted multiple photos on social media while enjoying time together with her alleged lover Ivan Bonotto ( top left) and her husband Gabriel Tacca (top right)
Brazilian police investigators said Gabriel Tacca (pictured) plotted the murder of his friend Ivan Bonotto after discovering that he was involved in a secret relationship with his doctor wife
Dr. Sabrina de Mello told investigators that she deleted content from her lover’s cell phone because she wanted to ‘protect him’
Tacca presented himself at a police station and told investigators that he did not know Bonotto and that the brawl was sparked by drinking at the bar.
Guimarães indicated that he was involved in the fight, but that he stabbed Bonotto to protect himself.
Mato Grosso Civil Police chief Bruno Brança said they discovered that Tacca and Guimarães remained at the bar and spoked for ‘one minute and 42 seconds.’
Dr. Sabrina de Mello (pictured) was arrested Tuesday in Sorriso, Brazil as part of an investigation into the murder of Ivan Bonotto, her husband’s close friend and with whom she was involved in an alleged affair
‘After the person [Guimarães] left, the bar owner waited another 11 minutes, with the victim in critical condition, to take him to the hospital,’ he said.
‘The claim that he had called the police and fire department is false. There was no connection in the records.’
‘What we know is that the story about a bar fight is a lie,’ Brança added. ‘There was no fight, no self-defense, no racist abuse. What happened was an attack from behind, which we believe was planned.’
