Man arrested for rape and homicide of woman, 9, after ‘admitting crime to different victims’
Martonio Alves Batista has been charged with qualified homicide in relation to the death of nine-year-old Giovanna dos Reis Costa, who vanished in 2006
Giovanna dos Reis Costa was found dead 20 years ago(Image: Newsflash)
A neighbour has been arrested for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl nearly 20 years after the killing after investigators said he admitted the crime to other victims.
Martonio Alves Batista, 55, was detained and formally charged with qualified homicide in connection with the killing of little Giovanna dos Reis Costa, who vanished on April 10, 2006, in Quatro Barras, a town in Parana state, southern Brazil.
Giovanna disappeared while selling Easter raffle tickets for her school near her home. Her body was discovered two days later on April 12 in a vacant lot, wrapped in plastic bags and bound with electrical wires, with signs of sexual violence.
A forensic examination determined the cause of death was mechanical asphyxia. At the time, Batista, a neighbour of the victim’s family was considered a suspect. Police visited his home on the day the girl disappeared, and his then-wife told officers he had been alone inside the house.
Investigators found a urine-stained mattress in the property, but it had disappeared by the time forensic teams arrived, and the house had been cleaned with bleach. Police also found urine traces on the girl’s underwear. A piece of electrical wire similar to the one used to bind her body was located in the suspect’s yard.
Despite these findings, Batista was questioned and released while investigators pursued other suspects. Three people were later tried for the crime in 2012 but were acquitted. The case remained unsolved and was eventually archived.
The investigation was reopened between 2025 and 2026 after another female reported that Batista had sexually abused her as a child. According to investigators, she said he threatened her by saying she would be “the next Giovanna”.
A woman later told police that during a confrontation he admitted he was not merely a witness in the Quatro Barras case, but the perpetrator.
Additional witnesses, including former partners, told investigators that Batista had mocked the police investigation and claimed officers had overlooked evidence that was “right in front of them”. One former partner told police that he confessed to luring Giovanna into his home by claiming he needed to get money to buy one of her raffle tickets.
According to the testimony, he said he then suffocated the child, sexually assaulted her, and killed her to prevent her identifying him before disposing of the body and the clothes in separate locations. Another witness said a woman who had been married to him at the time of the crime was forced to clean the house to remove potential evidence.
Police said Batista also has previous records involving sexual offences, including a 2018 arrest for installing hidden cameras in a women’s bathroom at a pastry shop he owned. He was arrested on February 19 in Londrina. Police said he chose to remain silent during questioning.
Prosecutors filed the homicide charge on March 6, about one month before the 20-year statute of limitations for qualified homicide was due to expire. His defence lawyer, Eduardo Caldeira, said the legal team is reviewing the case and disputes the police investigation, citing alleged inconsistencies including issues related to the chain of custody of evidence and due process. The investigation is ongoing.
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