True Crime with Kimbyr - Part 2: Mother of 4 Stabbed During School Drop-Off: The Aliny Godhino Tragedy

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

The nightmare continues in part 2 of Aliny Godhino’s tragic story on True Crime with Kimbyr. Kimbyrleigha delves deeper into the investigation, revealing new evidence, witness accounts, and the police pursuit of the perpetrator. How did such a horrific crime unfold so quickly, and what drove someone to commit it in broad daylight? With her signature blend of meticulous research and empathy, True Crime with Kimbyr uncovers the lingering questions, the heartbreak of a family torn apart, and the shocking truths that emerge when a community tries to make sense of a senseless act. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ricardo knew that the children were Alini's entire world. And he knew that the quickest way to break her was to make her believe that she could lose them. And by 2018, things were at a breaking point, another breaking point. Alini and Ricardo now had four children, a new place and a business together. But things were worse than ever.

On the 16th of November that year, Eleni told Ricardo she was leaving once and for all. And to her shock and surprise, Ricardo actually seemed to accept it. And he agreed, it was probably for the best. He said that he was done with the fighting, and maybe they would be better alone. Because of their financial position, they decided to keep living together in the same house, but sleeping in separate beds.

Eleni instantly felt lighter than she had in so many years, but this calm acceptance wasn't actually genuine. I think you could have guessed. It was another calculated tactic designed to disarm Malini to keep her close, while he was planning his next move. She mistakenly thought that she'd finally gotten through to him, believing for the first time in years that peace might be possible. Alini even confided in friends that they were planning to get a divorce,

and they couldn't believe it. Some of them even said they were sad, so that just shows you how much they didn't know. But Alini finally started telling her friends the truth about times, like when she had to lock herself in her bedroom for 24 hours, and couldn't even feed the children because she was so scared to come out. She ended up having to call a friend

to get them to lure Ricardo away from the house just so she could creep out of there and take care of the children. In fact, Ricardo confessed to Alini that he was actually having an affair. He thought that she would be destroyed and sad and beg him to stay with her. But she didn't.

She actually told her friends that she was in the process of finally feeling like she was going to get away. Lucien was worried. because this was close to Christmas of 2018, and Lucene was back in Brazil visiting family, and she knew that she wasn't going to be there to support Alini while she was gone,

and Ricardo's compliance was just a cover-up. He was never going to truly let her walk away. He wanted to see how far Alini would really go. And she went as far as handing him divorce papers, so he knew she was serious, and this was right before Christmas, too. And as you can have guessed, he used the holidays and the kids, the kids as an excuse to once again try to pull her back in, reminding her that without being

married to him, she would have to go back to Brazil without the kids. But by now, she had consulted with people that knew the laws, and she felt it was worth the risk, so she stood her ground. She told herself, just get through Christmas for the sake of the children, and then she would be free to move into her new place with her kids and start over again. But instead of Christmas and even the holidays being a time filled with joy and delight, it was filled with stomach-churning anxiety and fear. Things came to a head on December 24th, Christmas Eve, when Ricardo said he had a gift for the children.

And he used that moment to go where Eleni and the children were celebrating at a friend's house. Ricardo showed up uninvited. He was saying the most horrible things about Eleni right in front of all of her friends that he was going to do everything he could to destroy her life. It was so clear that he was very high, and Eleni was so scared, she remained upstairs. But this whole incident had been witnessed

by a number of their friends. He even told the kids how terrible their mother was, and now it was her fault that they had no money and they were about to lose everything. The next day, he sent Eleni a message telling her that everything between them could be fixed if she would undergo a religious ceremony on her birthday in June.

This sounded really weird to me, but Eleni once again refused. And so Ricardo called her mother and brother in Brazil to say that they're probably were all her fault and she had ruined their life. And after that, Ricardo called Alini's close friend, Simone, saying if Alini left him, he would never help her again. And he would prefer to see the children go hungry

than ever give him any of his money. Sometimes the person who wants to hurt you was so manipulative and so calculated, and they're so good at playing the victim, that they're able to twist reality and convince authorities, family members, and even mutual friends that they're the victim. He made sure that every attempt she

made to get help was met with doubt, delays, and failures. This is him making those moves, calling all these different people that were Alini's friends, her family, and trying to turn them against her. He even texted Alini's mother, threatening to harm the children or Eleni if she left him. He threatened to go to social services and have Alini removed from the country. The same day, on the 27th of December, Ricardo told Alini that he had followed through on his threat, and they were coming to take her away and deport her. to Brazil without the children. Alini actually had plans to apply for a visa

because of her children being citizens due to their father being a citizen. But when he found that out, he destroyed his children's passports. And at this point, Eleni had two choices. Stay and continue to live under Ricardo's control or seek help. And that afternoon, Alini went to the police for the very first time. This was a huge step. She told her friends through what she thought was a private chat on WhatsApp, everything she was going through. She was sharing all the steps that she was taking to safely escape from Ricardo.

For example, each one of her friends were buying her the necessities, so when she got her new place, she would have everything she needed. But no one knew Ricardo had an old SIM card from one of Alini's old phones and he was able to put it into a new phone and it had all of her apps on it, including WhatsApp. He had access to everything they were saying. Just think about that. Her biggest fear was that Ricardo would kill her because he told Simone that in Brazil, it was actually common for a husband to kill his wife if she asked for a divorce. So back to the police station because Alini could not actually speak English.

She asked her friend Simone to go in with her to interpret her statement. They recounted the history of her relationship with Ricardo, detailing the physical, emotional, and psychological mistreatment that she had endured over the years. She expressed her fear for her safety and for her children. children, emphasizing that Ricardo's behavior had become increasingly volatile and threatening. She also told them about the choking incident, but most of all, Alini highlighted that Ricardo's threats always centered around her immigration status. Because she was in the country illegally, he would always threaten to have her arrested, deported, and separated from their children.

The officers, Joel Robinson and Carrie Folly, listened carefully. They documented everything, and initially, it looked so promising. They even classified her case as high risk. And let's pause right here. High risk isn't just a label. It means authorities officially recognize that Ricardo poses serious threat, potentially life-threatening,

to Eleni and her children. The officers provided Eleni with information on support services, and they were able to organize a safe place for her and the children to stay until she could figure out her next step. They stayed overnight at the home of her friends, Danielle and Arthur Mason. You would think,

think this case being labeled as high risk would trigger immediate action, protection measures, and increased scrutiny on Ricardo. You would think, but here's the tragic irony. Though police acknowledge her danger, their actions didn't match their assessment. From this moment, every step taken by the system meant to protect her became a devastating misstep. And at the heart of all this catastrophic failure was police constable Diane Walker, the officer assigned to investigate Alini's case. The officer who should have been her advocate and her protector was instead something entirely different. It all started right after Alini left Ricardo. He began trying to find her. He was tracking her through

Find My iPhone and he came right to where her and the kids were staying. Of course they called the police and Ricardo was arrested. Alini was terrified of what might happen if the police left. So they took her and the four children to an apartment in London. It was more than an hour away by bus from where she and Ricardo had lived, and even though it was a very basic little unit, for the first night in a very long time, Alini felt safe. But sadly, that feeling wouldn't last. At the police station, Ricardo handed over his phone for analysis, and then he was interviewed by police constable Diane Walker. From the start, Walker dismissed critical details of Alini's case.

She claimed the events were too old or too vague, or they happened outside the UK. She had never even met Eleni. She was merely reading notes that a previous officer had taken down, but she did have access to both Eleni and Simone's statements. Simone's statement said she had never actually seen Ricardo be physically violent towards Eleni, but she witnessed his outbursts and threats. Simone knew that he basically controlled Eleni's life and that his behavior and threats had gotten worse. And we know everything Elinie must have said because it's everything I already told you. But in Walker's perspective, as Ricardo sat in front of her using the same smooth talking and charm that he put on time and time again to manipulate Alini and others, he came off as a grieving

husband, that he just missed his kids and he wanted his wife back. It makes me sick. Despite these two statements saying that Ricardo was increasingly violent and controlling, while Walker formed a belief that his arrest was not legitimate and that he didn't pose a threat to Alini or the children. She viewed Ricardo sympathetically as a man going through a really tough breakup. He wasn't dangerous. Alarmingly, she even reached this conclusion after a brief 20-minute interview with Ricardo, a conversation where he repeatedly answered, no comment. But instead of questioning this, instead of seeing a chilling pattern here, Walker,

simply took his word for it. However, she never even asked about Alini's allegations. She never asked him, like, what about that time you put your hands around her neck? Nope. She didn't even question him about the alleged use of Alini's immigration status or his behavior on Christmas Eve. It was only when the interview was wrapping up that Ricardo said, Eleni was only going after him now as they were getting closer to divorce because she would

lose her right to remain in the UK, because she was on a dependency visa. Let me put it bluntly. Ricardo admitted exactly what Alini feared most, that he would use her immigration status to control her. And yet somehow this officer still saw no danger, no threat. She never spoke to the terrified woman who was begging for help. She never talked to her face-to-face, never saw her fear, never heard the desperation in Alini's voice.

She never even spoke to the children who witnessed the mistreatment. Instead, she trusted her gut, her own flawed intuition over facts, evidence, and clear warning signs. Ricardo was released on bail with conditions that he wasn't supposed to contact Alini or the children, and he wasn't supposed to go to any of the addresses where she or the children might be. But sadly, Constable Walker was put in charge

of the entire investigation concerning Alini's allegations against Ricardo, and this decision meant that Alini was doomed from the start. This person who was in the best place to be able to protect her and her children didn't believe that Ricardo had done anything wrong, which meant she wasn't about to do anything to help Alini. And on December 31st, Alini simply called Walker begging for a police escort to her home

to safely retrieve essential items she needed for the kids. And shockingly, the officer refused. Instead, she called Ricardo. Yes, Ricardo. And casually listened as he portrayed himself once again as the victim, complaining that Alini had caused all their financial issues and was overreacting. He said that he loved her,

and he didn't understand why she was going to the police. She was just upset because Ricardo found out about her overspending and stealing from his company. This is his allegations now. And PC Walker didn't just believe him. She downgraded his official threat level from high to medium,

despite having no legitimate basis to do so. And I just wanted to scream. She had his threat level reduced based solely on his version of the events without meeting the victim, without speaking to witnesses, or the children, which is actually mandatory

in DV cases in the UK. She didn't check the facts. And I get it. Because a lot of officers, and even we feel like we have got feelings and intuition. And they do play an important role in policing, especially when it comes to detecting deception

or anticipating danger. Officers rely on their instincts all the time to make quick decisions in high-pressure situations. But gut feelings should never override facts, evidence, or established procedures, especially in cases of DV, where lives are at stake. There are policies, procedures, and assessment tools designed to take the guesswork out of these decisions. Patterns of behavior matter more than an officer's personal judgment or a victim's credibility. And in Ricardo's case, the facts were so clear.

He was controlling. He was aggressive. He had made threats. He had a long history of emotional and physical mistreatment, which escalated any time Alini tried to leave. And he attempted to harm her on more than one occasion, but at least one where witnesses saw it happen. There was simply no valid reason to downgrade his risk level. And tragically, this wasn't the only time the authorities failed Alini. On January 5th of 2019, Simone called the police again to ask, if an officer could watch over Eleni as she got some of her belongings from the house and supplies for the children who were going back to school. The police refused for a second time. Why? It is so simple. Isn't it their job to protect citizens and even if they didn't see a threat there? If someone felt threatened, isn't that enough? What's the harm in giving them a simple police escort? She even had a valid report on file against this man. When they refused, Simone went into further detail explaining how just the other day, the day before, Ricardo had one of his employees call Alini

to tell her Ricardo was going to the home office to get her arrested and removed from the country. More harassment and intimidation. And this is what made me so sad. Alini felt she had no one on her side. So much so. She was so scared and upset, but she didn't want to go talk to her own case manager, P.C. Walker, because she knew that the word would get back to Ricardo.

She already knew that Walker had made up her mind. she was on Ricardo's side. Can you even imagine? Like, how are you supposed to get help if he's a smooth talker and he's so charming? It's frustrating. But luckily, the officer on the phone that day with Simone, Inspector Wilkie, believed

that Ricardo's actions constituted a breach of his parole conditions, and he organized another officer to visit Alini and take a formal statement the following day. And Simone agreed to translate. But he would not send an officer to escort her to Ricardo's home, just to gather her things for her children. So, Eleni went with a couple of her friends, but it wasn't long before the cops were called

by neighbors after what they described as Ricardo kicking off. When the two officers arrived at the home, there was no sign of disturbance. And after hearing a little bit of Alini's story, they did decide to accompany her inside the house while she collected her belongings. But the entire time she was in there, Ricardo and one of his friends were following her around and filming her on their cell phones. that action alone was a breach of his bail conditions. But despite the officers being there and being aware of his risk assessment and his bail conditions, they didn't step in.

Why? My brain was like, who are these people? Why are they cops? I don't know anything about cops in the UK. So I don't want to make a blanket judgment because they can suck here too. But at least the ones that I've encountered, they're very helpful. They seem to care. But when I read this about Alini in her situation, I just couldn't understand it.

And I had to chalk it up to status, where maybe they saw Ricardo as being more of a citizen and his wife, almost like an outsider. That might not be true. It's just the only reasonable explanation I could come up with in my head. Because why wouldn't you help this woman? Oh, but they were willing to take yet another statement. Like, how many statements do you have to take? and what does a piece of paper and a statement really do if no one reads them,

or they do read them and they're like, nah, I'll make a different decision. And what they wanted her to talk about was that phone call that Simone said she received from Ricardo's coworker. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. It's the bare minimum. So what, you recorded something on a piece of paper? Why don't you intervene? And this wasn't the place or the time for this woman to divulge her fears of a man

who was standing just a few feet away in earshot. I mean, read the room. or read the outside, read it, figure out what's going on here. Like, aren't you trained in these situations? So she told the officers, she didn't want to get anybody in trouble. And she didn't want to make a statement about the call from Ricardo's employee. And because of her refusal to say anything, the officer's notes were recorded that this was her full statement, that she didn't have a statement. They saw it not as fear, but reluctance as though she wasn't telling the truth.

They saw a woman who wouldn't cooperate. In their eyes, Eleni's side. silence meant there wasn't enough evidence to arrest Ricardo again. Not even when PC Walker later read the reports of what happened with the phone call or what happened at the house. And maybe if she had finally taken notice of Ricardo's pattern of behavior, what happened next could have been avoided. Ricardo didn't know where Eleni was living, but he did know her schedule. And that's because the boys were still attending their regular primary school back where she

and Ricardo used to live, which meant that he knew exactly where she would be and when, at least twice a day, drop off and pick up. The safe house that Alini was living in required her to take several buses and trains to get across town to her children's school, but she felt it was so important for them to have a little bit of stability. On the 7th of January,

Eleni's two youngest son started back at their school, Meadow Primary School, and Yule, following the Christmas holidays. And on that day, she told the head teacher, Mark Truman, that because of Ricardo's arrest and bail conditions, He was not allowed to pick up the children from school. The head teacher was extremely concerned for Eleni and her children.

He even reached out to children's services in London, explaining that Ricardo lived so close to the school, he could easily watch to see when Alini and the kids were there. And on the other hand, Alini had to travel so far together each day. It gave Ricardo a lot of time to figure out where they were going when they left. Then a few days later, on the 11th of January, Eleni dropped into the absent police station with some documents,

that Ricardo had apparently requested from her, and after they were dropped off, PC Walker then called Ricardo. And that's when he told her he didn't need the papers anymore because he had reported Alini to the home office. Walker never thought to ask how Alini knew what documents Ricardo needed

because there wasn't supposed to be any contact between them. And she also didn't connect the dots that Ricardo's threat about reporting Alini for overstaying with the fact that Alini said he was using her immigration status as a weapon to control her, like, puts you and two together. He's actually admitting it, I think, twice now, that he has that hanging over her head.

It was on that same day that Walker learned that Ricardo had discovered Alini's safe house address. He called their bank. He asked for her forwarding address, which they provided without question, and that makes me so upset. In PC Walker's notes, she said, and it's kind of jumbled, so I'm gonna just say

what it was written down because they're notes. It says this, quote, Ricardo was aware of Alini's new address as their bank told him her forwarding address. He's also aware of her new phone number as she's taken out a new contract from his bank account. Documents to return to Ricardo, three phones belonging to him. Bank told him her forwarding address. Mobile number is also known as she has a new contract which he is paying. None of the children have UK passports.

She is here illegally. Home office has been informed." End quote. Why does it sound like she's against this woman? I don't get it. I'm like, are you not seeing the same thing I am? PC Walker didn't consider the fact that Ricardo knew where to find Alini as relevant to his risk assessment or to Alini's safety. She didn't offer her a tech SOS phone, which provides a direct line to the police in an emergency.

And actually, Ricardo could have been using the Find My iPhone app to track her phone this entire time. It's something that was mentioned in reports that I read because he had that old SIM card, but you don't need one. If you know someone's iCloud password, you can easily go into their Find My iPhone and get their location. but he was reading all of her emails, social media messages, and what she thought were secret WhatsApp messages. By now, I'm sure you can see where this is going. Now that Ricardo knew Alini's phone number, he started to bombard her with messages and texts again,

breaching his bail repeatedly. And on the 14th of January, Simone reported this contact to the police again on Alini's behalf. I was trying to play devil's advocate, and I thought to myself, Maybe the police didn't take this as seriously because Alini herself wasn't calling in. But in that call, Simone said, Alini thinks her ex-husband may know where she lives and she's frightened. The operator handling the call organized for a police officer to visit Alini two days later on January 16th to take a full statement. Why does it take so long? Because the day after, on the 15th, something even scarier happened. Alini went to Meadow Primary School at around 12.30 p.m. to pick up to

up her sons a little early. She was so upset when she was there that she went right to the head teacher's office and he could hardly make out what she was saying because she was crying so hard. She was frantic, but he could tell she was terrified. She explained that she had just called the police the day before because Ricardo found her phone number and he was calling her non-stop, even having his friends call her and again, I'm going to repeat this so many times. It's like a broken record. This was a breach of his bail arrangement. Then she said she had just seen him driving around the school and she gestured this by moving her hand in a circle motion like that. Like I saw him driving around the school repeatedly. Alini contacted a friend Karina Godwin who came to the school to support her.

And while the head teacher called the social services, Alini was explaining all of this to him and he was translating it to that. The whole reason Alini was picking up the boys early that day was because she got a phone call from Ricardo's secretary who called to warn her that he just left in his truck and and he was furious and out of control. Then a mutual friend of theirs called to warn her that Ricardo wasn't driving his truck. He had borrowed a friend's car and was on the way to the school. That's when she realized he was circling around

like a shark just waiting for her. She burst into tears and ran to the office. The head teacher tried to call social services, but he was on the phone for 40 minutes without someone coming on. So we decided to call the local sorry police instead, and he stated that there was an incident yesterday, where she had to call the police on the father again.

And apparently he got very angry. And is now, she says, circling the school. So she's afraid. And I'm afraid for the children who are here of her going back to London, and I just need advice as to what to do. The operator asked whether Ricardo's presence could be a coincidence because he lived close by.

And in response to this, Alini just put up her hands and shrugged her shoulders. I guess saying she doesn't know, but what about those two calls? One from the secretary and one from the secretary, and one from the mutual friend saying that he literally switched from his truck to a car so that he would go unnoticed. The operator said that the police could not come out there because there was no contact that had been made. And Ricardo was no longer driving around outside as far as anyone could see.

But they did state that if Felini got scared when she was going home, she could simply call 9-99. But isn't that what she just did? Isn't that what she has been doing all along? The operator even noted in the report that there was, quote, nothing to suggest this citing was anything other than a coincidence, end quote, wow. She never mentioned that Ricardo had actually been circling the school a number of times and that he hadn't just driven past. After this, Alini and the children left the school and went home with Karina. And the boys were kept at home for a few days after this,

but then they did return to school on the 21st of January. This was just to put some time and space between them and record. hoping he wouldn't do this again. And there was something that in hindsight would have been much safer. It was a suggestion from social services to move the boys to a school in London. But Eleni didn't want to do this. The boys were really happy where they were, and she didn't want to disrupt them even further.

And I completely understand. But sadly, there would be consequences. On the 16th of January, PC Walker read the notes about both of the incidents, incidents, the phone calls from Ricardo, and the drive-by encircling at the children's school. Two blatant acts of intimidation. Two clear indicators that Ricardo was escalating, and yet once again, she didn't think it was important at this point, and Ricardo had violated his bail conditions multiple times. He wasn't supposed to contact Eleni, period. He wasn't supposed to go anywhere near the children's school. Yet there he was, repeatedly proving they had no intention of following

the rules. And what did the authorities do? Nothing. He had now breached his bail conditions so many times that there was no reasonable justification for allowing him to remain free. At the very least, there should have been a review of his risk level, an arrest, or an escalation

to more serious protective measures. Remember how PC Walker never once met Alini? And yet, Alini's life was in her hands. When I said the police did nothing, they did something, but it was the opposite of protecting Eleni. On the same day, PC Walker, I know you're not going to believe this,

she actually lifted all of Ricardo's bail conditions. He was now a completely free man. When PC Walker informed Ricardo's lawyer of this update, he said that his client wasn't living at the home address that he gave anymore, but he refused to provide a new one. Think about that. Moving to a new house without informing the police was actually another breach of his conditions, another red flag, another instance of how PC Walker did nothing.

Alini was told via her friend Simone that Ricardo had been released under investigation. I don't know if they understood at the time how this meant what little protection Alini might have had was now gone. Either way, Ricardo now had Alini's phone number, her address, her schedule, and no legal requirement to stay away from her. Not that that had ever been a problem for him anyway. And two days after being released, PC Walker decided there was no grounds

to charge Ricardo with any offense. And this decision was actually backed up by her supervisor. Back on December 28th of 2018, the bail conditions had been imposed for a period of 28 days. But in order to extend that period for up to three months,

Walker would have needed her supervisor, her superintendent to sign off on it. But PC Walker decided not to seek an extension, because she believed that, believed Alini was safe and because she did not think an extension would be granted. So the supervisor was taking her word and making this decision. If you don't want one and you're already saying it's not needed, the supervisor wasn't going to go against it because they knew less.

What it looked like happened was Walker was reluctant to seek an authorization for an extension of the bill conditions because that would have exposed the lack of safeguarding and the lack of investigation work that was never done. So it was more important for her to cover her own ass than a mother desperate for help. Ricardo wasted no time putting his freedom to use. On the 8th of February, the WhatsApp group chat gets an alert that says that Alini has left their group. That was really odd. And once they called to confirm it was Alini herself that left, they realized she hadn't.

And they figured it out. Ricardo had been spying on them the entire time. Alini then called her friend Danielle and told her her that Ricardo had been inside her iCloud account and read all of her emails and all her other communications, even stating Ricardo's brother had contacted her and told her that Ricardo was very angry because he had intercepted an email that said Alini had alleged that Ricardo had tried to choke her in December of 2018, which he said was never true. So now he's saying that she's spreading lies about him and because of that he's going to kill her. Alini once again informed the

the police through Simone. And Simone even told them, Alini called her sister and told her that she was worried Ricardo was going to kill her. Alini told Simone that Ricardo needed to be arrested and sort himself out, otherwise she was gonna end up dead. She just knew it. And in turn, Simone's call to the police came in

at 11.30 a.m. explaining everything and that they had proof that he had secretly been spying on Alini this entire time. Simone's call though was directed to the wrong Police Department. Because of the fact that Alini was living in London, that would have been where the call was made to. But instead, it should have been made

to the local Surrey police where Ricardo was living, because this was stalking. And it would have been taken very seriously. And a risk assessment should have been done. Instead, the Metropolitan Police take the call. And have Alini and Simone on the line together with Simone translating. The officer on the call merely scheduled

an appointment for the very next day at the police station, at the police station for Eleni to provide yet another statement. But this time, Alini refused. She just asked if they could do it the next day on February 9th, Saturday, at 10 a.m. Because she already had plans for the children that afternoon for them to attend a birthday party, and she really did not want to disrupt that. That was it. But something about the call in the events of the last few days really disturbed Simone more than usual.

She called Alini two more times at 1 o'clock and at 2.30 p.m. trying to convince her to please go to the police that day rather than wait till the next day. And every time, Alini said, she wanted to pick up the kids from school like normal and then worry about Ricardo the next day. She loved her kids so much. She cared about them over her own safety.

And sadly, she would not get a next day. The failure by the local sorry police to respond to the report made that morning was a further missed opportunity to protect this woman. You know those moments in life where everything feels frozen? Like the world suddenly slows down and every second stretches into eternity.

It's like your mind can't quite believe what your eyes are seeing. Your brain is struggling to process the reality unfolding before you. For the families gathered at the school gates and Yule, sorry, on that cold winter afternoon, February 8th of 2019,

that's a real, horrifying feeling was exactly what awaited them. Eleni and her three-year-old daughter, Julie, boarded the local transit bus on their way to get the other children from school. Hand in hand and later side by side, they sat on the bus. The camera shows Eleni on her phone

and little Julie playfully looking out the window. Outside, you can see the rain sprinkling down and the dreary sky, and it truly matched the moment because only a few minutes later, all four of Alini's children would have to grow up without their mother. Just before 3 p.m.,

Alini and Julie get off the bus near Sparrow Farm Road and join other families walking on the sidewalk towards the school. It was only a five-minute walk, and Alini thought that she would be safe. It was in the middle of the day surrounded by other people, and she was with her youngest child, Julie, the one Ricardo favored, his only little girl. She thought she knew Ricardo. She thought he would never put any of their children in harm's way. But what she didn't know is that that morning, Ricardo woke up determined to finally make good on his threats. He left his home in Kingston. He spent the morning working calmly at various maintenance sites, acting completely normal.

Except that morning, he packed a knife. And Azaleini prepared herself for another anxious afternoon of pickups. Ricardo parked his truck just down the street from where the bus stop was located. He knew that she would be arriving soon. He watched and waited in his pickup truck until he saw them step off that bus and walk hand in hand. And that's when he drove out of the car park and mounted the grass next to where they were walking. Witnesses described it vividly, tires screeching as the vehicle lurched by only onto the grass blocking her path. Alini saw him and she screamed.

Realizing the danger instantly, her body reacted instinctively, turning to run, pulling her child with her, desperate to get away. But she couldn't move fast enough to outrun him. Not without letting go of Julie, which wasn't an option. There was no way she was leaving her three-year-old behind. But how fast can a mother run when she's gripping her frightened child's hand? Ricardo was faster. Leaping from the car, knife in hand, he rushed towards her before anyone could react.

He had his arm around her waist, holding her tightly as he began stabbing her repeatedly. Even as she collapsed to the ground, he kept going. In total, the attack lasted just 17 seconds. 17 seconds, that's all it took to extinguish a life. A life filled with hopes and dreams, courage and love. And as she lay dying on the ground, Ricardo dropped the knife, looked at Julie for a split second, then turned around and walked calmly to his truck,

jumped inside and sped off, leaving their daughter behind to watch her mother die. Strangers rushed towards her. one woman knelt down and whispered, your baby is okay. Letting Alini know in her last moments that she didn't have to worry about her little girl. That really hurt my heart. Everyone was frantically dialing emergency services, desperately trying to help. But it was too late.

Her injuries were catastrophic. She died right there on the pavement, mere feet from her terrified daughter. As officers rushed to the scene, Ricardo wasted no time. bragging about what he had just done. He called an employee and callously admitted, I just killed Alini. I stabbed her to death. Then he called another friend

repeating the same horrifying admission. So casually, with no remorse and no shock. Just chilling calmness. Police quickly swarmed the scene piecing together the shocking details from traumatized witnesses who were there to provide a solid description of Ricardo and his truck.

One mother, Tony Miller, who had also been on the bus with Alini and her daughter, told authorities that she was right there when everything happened. She saw it all. She heard a short and sharp scream, which caused her to turn around. She said, quote, I looked at her face, and she was absolutely terrified. He made contact with her, and she pushed her daughter in my direction. She turned around to face the man, and he grabbed hold of her, and then, when he pulled back, I could see the blade of the knife. I thought it was a Halloween prop. I thought it was a joke. Alini put her arms up to protect her, and he started to stab her with a knife. He did not say a word. He was extremely calm and collected,

end quote. Even more sad was what little Julie said to Tony. She looked up at her and told her, Mommy is not coming back. How heartbreaking for this little girl to realize that. There were other children who witnessed this as well. And it was unbelievable that this happened the way that it did in a place like this, family-friendly, safe, quiet, right near the school. In the days that followed, people left flowers right where she died, and they were filled with pictures of her and notes from classmates and children and their parents. It was just heartbreaking. Things like, rest in peace. You were so warm and such a wonderful mom, there are no words. Another said, may God bless you and protect you with his eternal light. May the star you've become shine brightest at night so your children below know

when they look up at the night sky that mommy is with them. And that is just sad. An hour and a half after Alini took her last breath, Ricardo was arrested. As police surrounded him, he said he was on his way to the police station to surrender when he was picked up. He tried to justify himself right away, claiming he had been pushed into it by stress and fear of losing his children. But every word rang hollow. Every claim of losing control felt calculated and manipulative. A final insult to the woman he had victimized for so many years. Within 48 hours, Ricardo was charged with murder, as well as possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. As news of the attack spread, the community reeled in shock. Friends, teachers, neighbors all grappled with the unimaginable grief, guilt, and anger. How could this

have happened? How could no one have protected her? And above all, how have to be it? How could you? How How could someone who claimed to love her brutally end her life? Lucene was watching TV when a friend called her and told her that Ricardo had just killed Eleni. And Lucene just threw her phone because it was the worst day for life and she couldn't believe it and she just didn't want to hear it. She hoped that Eleni had at least heard the woman tell her that her baby was okay. She hoped that at least that gave her some peace before she took her last breath. And when the news got to Alini's family in Brazil, they were in in shock. They wondered what was going to happen now. The children were without a father and a mother.

The autopsy revealed the brutal reality. Alini had been stabbed at least seven times. Two of the wounds in her neck caused fatal blood loss. But tragically, none of this was truly surprising. Not to those who knew her story. Not to those who saw the escalating pattern of mistreatment. Not to those who heard her desperate pleas for help. Because Ricardo's violent wasn't random. It was predictable. Every warning sign had been ignored, every threat dismissed. Each time Ricardo breached his conditions, authorities looked the other way. And now a mother four was dead. Her life was stolen not just by her killer, but by a system that had completely failed to protect her. It was too little too late. Even his phone wasn't analyzed until the murder. And then they

saw he was tracking her, that she was telling the truth all along. He even googled cases of other Brazilian men killing their wives and then deleted the searches. Seven weeks later, at his 12-day trial, Ricardo pleaded not guilty to Eleni's murder, but instead, guilty to manslaughter. He clearly didn't want to take any responsibility for what he had done. The prosecution's case centered around Ricardo's history

of coercive control, violence, and obsessive behavior. Beyond the years of torment, the murder itself showed just how heartless he was. Ricardo had tracked Eleni's movements, armed himself with a knife, and ambushed her in front of their three-year-old daughter as she was picking up their other children from school. Witnesses described the attack and how it had a lasting impact on their community and their lives.

Now, Ricardo's whole defense was that he lost control. In his testimony, he said that he couldn't trust Eleni. She had stolen from him when she was working for his business, and he also said, he didn't want to separate from her because he thought she would take the kids. He never planned to stab his ex-wife. according to his version of events, when he pulled up at the bus stop. Wait for this. All he wanted was a hug from his daughter. What? It was only when Alini, according to him, said that he would never see his children again,

that he was driven to kill her. Excuse me, but he had a knife. He brought a knife. He cut them off. He didn't calmly come up and say, can I have a hug? But what he did say was that he blacked out during the stabbing, and he didn't even know what happened to Alini and that she had died until he was taken to the police station

after her murder. He said, quote, I didn't know what I did, to be honest. On that day, my life is ended, end quote, his life. And under cross-examination, the prosecutor questioned Ricardo's testimony, because no one heard any words exchanged between them before he stabbed her. Ricardo said he blacked out, but then somehow he could still hear and remember what Alini said.

Witnesses to the attack said, said he jumped out of his truck, ran towards her, and immediately began stabbing her. There was no time for an exchange. The evidence against Ricardo showed clear planning and intent. And in the end, Ricardo was found guilty of murder. And a judge made a comment to Ricardo that no defensive wounds were found on Alini's body.

And this was because his attack was so ferocious that she had no time to try to defend herself. At Ricardo's sentencing hearing, Alini's sister Tachian Chiani and her friends spoke about her life and the devastation and helplessness they felt after her murder. Her sister said, quote, being a mother for our sister was the greatest happiness of her life. She took care of her children as if they were great precious stones, always taking care of them with great care and protection at all times, end quote. In the judge's sentencing remarks, he made it clear that this was a cold, flooded, pre-meditated act that left devastating consequences for Alini's family and her children.

Alini was a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, and a friend. She was also the mother of four young children who must now grow up without their mother and their father. She was kind, generous, optimistic, and loved. One of the victim impact statements was from a friend of hers that described how Alini, someone who hardly could afford to support herself, raised money for his very sick wife to have a life-saving surgery back in Brazil. And her sister explained that no sentence that they could impose would ever replace their sister.

Alini's sister also explained that their entire family had moved from Brazil to the UK to care for and protect the children. They told the judge they were so worried that Ricardo was going to seek revenge on the children after his release. On July 18th of 2019, Ricardo was sentenced to life in prison. with a minimum of 27 years.

The judge also noted severe failings in the way that Alini's case was handled or mishandled by the police. And it prompted an inquest, which scrutinized the shortcomings and their devastating outcomes. The inquest revealed that the police had downgraded Alini's risk level from high to medium without the proper assessment. They failed to implement an effective safeguarding plan

and did not adequately investigate Ricardo's escalating behavior And this all contributed to missed opportunities to protect Delini. Of course they did. And when is it going to stop? Not just in the US or the UK, but beyond, because I'm sure each one of you, no matter where you live in the world, you have a story just like this one that you could tell.

A story of a system that failed. Here's what the DCI, Mark Chapman, from the Specialist Crime Command said after the sentencing. Mark Chapman, Detective Chief Inspector from Sauri Police, and senior investigating officer into the death of Alini Mendes. This deeply tragic incident has had a devastating effect on Eleni's families and friends, and our thoughts and sympathies are with them today. Alini was on her way to pick up her children from school when she was confronted and

killed by her partner Ricardo. We have spoken to many people during the course of our investigation, and what shines through is that Alini was a caring person, She had a warm heart and she had the thoughts and best interests of her children at the heart of everything that she did. The attack took place in broad daylight and continues to have a devastating effect on those who witnessed it. I would like to pay tribute to the members of the public that did witness this terrible incident and for their actions in the immediate aftermath and I would also like to recognise the efforts of the wider community who pulled together and supported through each other through a difficult time. Many brave people gave evidence that led to the conviction that was secured today at Guildford Crown Court.

The family have asked me to read a statement on their behalf. Alini was a beautiful, intelligent, happy, caring woman who was loved by so many people, both in the UK and in her home country of Brazil. The events of Friday the 8th of February 2019 took away not only a sister, daughter, grandchild and friend, but more importantly, took a loving mother away from her four small children. The impact that Alini's death has left on her children is almost impossible to put into words. All four children are under the age of 12 years old and are now left with no mother which is so hard for them to process at such a young age.

It's the small things that will have the impact on their lives growing up. When the children are ill, their mother will not be there to soothe them. When they get good results at school, their mother will not be there to praise them. When they perform in a school play, their mother will not be there to applaud them. And on birthdays, graduations, wedding days and other momentous events, Their mother will not be able to share in the celebration and joy of the occasion. The family cannot express enough how our lives have changed, and that it is a daily struggle, not only to come to terms with what has happened,

but to adapt to a new way of life. We are thankful for all the efforts by the criminal justice system, but no sentence will ever replace or bring back our beautiful Eleni. Now you may be wondering what PC Walker had to say about all this. When she was asked about her key responsibilities, she agreed that they were to review the risk assessment, assess the risk level, make and implement a safeguarding plan, and make sure to follow an investigative plan. But during the inquest, into her actions, she accepted that none of these responsibilities had been properly fulfilled. And her excuse? She was carrying a large caseload at the time,

and this meant she didn't give the case the attention it deserved. However, the investigator didn't believe that it was a justified explanation for Walker's failures. Do you think officers should be charged when they fail to properly assess a situation like this? Why or why not? I would love to hear your thoughts. Well, PC Walker faced internal disciplinary proceedings and she did receive a written warning for her conduct, but that was it. I think cases like this would be taken more seriously if there were more severe consequences for officers because a person's life is in their hands. The inquest also also criticized the officers who walked or didn't walk Alini around her house. I mean, they did, but it's like they couldn't even give her the escort,

and then they finally came there, and then they let him record her. They should have stopped Ricardo. That was wrong. They should have taken her to the station for a seaman, and they should have made an arrest. They should have. And in 2022, Ricardo was transferred to a prison in Brazil to serve out the remainder of a sentence.

However, due to differences in the sentencing laws between the two countries, he will serve a maximum of 30 years rather than a minimum of 27 years. The prison he was sent to is just a short distance from where he and Alini first met and fell in love. This case is one of the clearest examples of how the system can work against a victim. We're always told to speak up and seek help and trust the authorities, but what happens when victims do everything right and still aren't protective? Alini went to the place. police, she reported Ricardo's behavior, she told them she was afraid, and yet nothing changed. Ricardo continued to breach his bail conditions, continued to stalk and harass her, and continued

to prove that he was a danger, but instead of facing consequences, he was allowed to walk free right up until the moment he took Alini's life. The failure wasn't just in one moment, in one decision or one officer's judgment, it was a series of missed opportunities and failures of a system that wasn't designed to truly protect victims. Alini's case should have been a success story, a woman who escaped a dangerous relationship and built a safer future for herself and her children.

Instead, it became yet another heartbreaking reminder that speaking up doesn't mean anything if no one is truly listening, and that is sad. I want your thoughts. And I thank you so much for being here, Berlini's story. I will see you in my next one. Bye.