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Topics: World News, News, Crime, Gun Crime, Police
Kit Roberts
A woman who trained as a police officer to catch the man who killed her father admitted she couldn't 'hold back the tears' after finally coming face to face with him.
Gislayne Silva de Deus was just nine years old when her father Givaldo was killed over a debt of around $66.
His killer was Raimundo Gomes, who had stormed out of a bar following an argument with Givaldo.
Gomes returned with a pistol, shooting Givaldo in the head before fleeing.
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Warrants were issued for his arrest, but when he could not be located the case would be archived.
Gislayne, who was the oldest of five sisters, was determined to catch him and went to law school before becoming a lawyer and then a police officer.
Upon becoming a police officer in 2023 she requested to be assigned to the homicide division to track down her father's killer.
The last arrest warrant for him had been issued in 2019.
Finally, in September 2024 she and her team were able to track down Gomes and arrest him in Boa Vista in the Roraima state in north Brazil.
Gislayne, 36, posted a video of herself confronting Gomes, telling him: “It’s because of me that you are here, and you are now going to pay."
Gomes was sent to serve to 12 years in prison, a sentence which had already been given in his absence.
Gislayne said: “With his arrest I washed my soul and that of my whole family. Today we have peace and the feeling that justice has been done.
"His arrest represents not only the reparation of an injustice, but also the power of perseverance in the name of justice."
Speaking to Brazilian website G1, Gislayne said that she wept upon confronting him.
She said: "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."
Paying tribute to her father, Gislayne said he had been an 'honest and hard-working man' who supported his daughters in their education.
She said: "He spent time helping us with homework and times tables. He was always very close to us and caring.
"My sisters and I went through really difficult times after we lost him. What happened could easily have sent us on a different direction, but our mother always taught us to follow the right path.”