Major development in ‘Christmas cake poisoning’ that left three relatives dead

The body of a man exhumed after his two sisters-in-law and a niece died having eaten a Christmas cake laced with arsenic also had traces of the poison in his system.

Paolo Luiz, 68, died last September, months before the suspected triple murder, after eating contaminated bananas.

The case made headlines around the world when relatives Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, and her niece Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, 65, all died.

Paulo’s wife Zeli Dos Anjos, 61, was also taken ill but survived – as she did when he ate his fatal meal.

His body was dug up for forensic testing as part of the investigation.

The case took a twist last week when their daughter-in-law Deise Moura, 42, was arrested in connection with the three suspected murders and three attempted murders.

Tests on the deadly dessert revealed it contained 350 times the lethal amount of arsenic. The toxic metal was also detected in the blood and urine of those who ate it.

Detectives have now revealed it was also found in Paolo’s body, MailOnline reports.

He died after becoming seriously unwell having eaten mashed bananas at his home in Arroio Do Sal, near Porto Alegre.

Relatives suspected foul play at the time but Zeli reportedly refused to go along with the claims, insisting the fruit must have been ‘contaminated’ in recent flooding.

The investigation is now believed to be centred on the relationship between Zeli and Deise after family members claimed the pair fell out years ago.

Police statements released in Brazil state Zeli was branded a ‘naja’ – meaning ‘cobra’ – by her daughter-in-law.

But Deise says she is ‘shocked’ at being named a suspect in the poisonings and maintains her innocence.

In a stament issued through her lawyers last week, she added: ‘Everything’s all very preliminary.

‘There are still questions to be answered. What is the causal link between the poison and Deise?

‘There is no explanation of how the flour ended up in Zeli’s house, or where or how it was acquired.

‘These are minimal questions to indicate the authorship of the facts.

‘Instead, all we have are the accounts of some family members and a supposed extraction of data from a mobile phone.’

Brazilian judicial officials have confirmed that an initial analysis of Moura’s phone showed ‘internet searches, including on Google shopping, for the word arsenic and other similar ones’.

It also emerged this week that the use of poison can aggravate a prison sentence in Brazil by up to 30 years.

Criminal lawyers Carlos Coruja and Arthur Richardisson confirmed that the use of poison can qualify not only as homicide, but also as premeditation.

Moura is set to appear in court for a custody hearing on 13 January.

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