A couple who raped, burned and strangled a female clown before burying her alive have been jailed.

Julieta, known by her clown stage name "Jujuba", had been cycling from Brazil towards Venezuela as part of a feminist performance group when she stopped overnight in Presidente Figueiredo and was never seen alive again. Her body was found days later in a shallow grave near a guest house run by the killers, who confessed after police traced her bicycle parts to the property.

Police said Julieta had been sleeping in a hammock when Thiago Agles da Silva high on crack, attacked her with a knife, bound her legs and ordered girlfriend Deliomara dos Anjos Santos to drag her into the kitchen. Police said that he then raped and assaulted the artist before Santos doused Julieta with alcohol and Da Silva set her on fire. According to investigators, Julieta survived the flames but was then strangled with a rope before being buried behind the house.

Santos, 29, received a prison term of 37 years, 11 months and 10 days, while her boyfriend, Da Silva, 32, was sentenced to 41 years and three months. The pair were convicted of robbery, followed by murder and concealment of a corpse over the death of Venezuelan circus performer Julieta Ines Hernandez Martinez, who was killed on December 23, 2023 while travelling through the Amazon.

The case became infamous when it emerged that Santos had posted a disturbing photo on January 5, showing herself smirking while wearing Julieta's distinctive red-and-black crop top, later confirmed to belong to the victim. The same top was found among Julieta's belongings after the couple led police to where they had hidden her possessions.

Her disappearance had sparked a desperate search after family and friends lost contact with her, and her abandoned bicycle was found by a passerby two weeks later. Police from the 37th Interactive Police Station in Amazonas said the couple, who have five children together, confessed to the killing during questioning.

Tributes from fellow performers described Julieta as a fearless artist who "carried her dreams on a bicycle and created smiles all over Brazil". Her feminist clown troupe Circo di SoLadies wrote after her death: "Our great Julieta, our Clown Jujuba, carried her dreams on the bike and created smiles all over Brazil. Her vivacity was a victim of femicide and her bike was destroyed, as were our hearts."

The killing has since become one of Brazil's most shocking femicide cases, symbolising the dangers faced by women travelling alone through the country.

Couple who raped, burned and strangled female clown before burying her alive jailed - The Mirror