'Flordelis: A Family Crime' on HBO: Where are Max Flordelis and her sons now? Crime docu airs in Feb

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: Max HBO has commissioned a new true crime docuseries about a Brazilian politician accused of orchestrating her husband’s murder. It is set to release in February 2023 on the streaming service. 

The series will follow the case of Flordelis dos Santos de Souza, who was sentenced to 52 years in jail. She was found guilty of plotting the murder of her pastor husband Anderson do Carmo in 2019. Do Carmo, 42, was shot multiple times in June 2019 as he returned to the gated home they shared with their dozens of children – both biological and adopted – just outside Rio de Janeiro. Suemay Oram directs the docuseries, which follows Flordelis from her arrest through to her eventual conviction.  It gives a glimpse into the private lives of those involved in the case. 

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Who is Max Flordelis?

Flordelis is a Brazilian pastor, contemporary gospel singer, pastor, and former politician. She has been sentenced to 52 years in jail for the murder of her husband Anderson. Flordelis first met Anderson in 1991, when he was only 14, and adopted him. Seven years later, in 1998, they got married. They went on to found a church together and also pursue a career in politics. Flordelis' career as a gospel singer took a leap in 2010 with the release of her first album, serving as proof of her talent and passion for music. 

Flordelis ran unsuccessfully for São Gonçalo City Council in 2004. She later ran for the mayorship of São Gonçalo in 2016 before being elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in Rio de Janeiro in 2018. Flordelis orchestrated the killing “because the victim kept a strict control of the family finances and administered conflicts rigidly, refusing to give preferential treatment to the ex-lawmaker’s closest [friends] in detriment to other members of the family,” the court said, as reported by The Guardian.

Where are Max Flordelis and her children?

Flordelis was expelled from the Brazilian Ethics Council and lost her rights as a congresswoman. This meant her diplomatic immunity could be revoked. She was arrested in August 2021 and soon the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police detained her. She is currently serving her prison sentence in a Brazilian prison. 

Flordelis had 55 children, mostly adopted. Several of her children and her grandaughter were accused of being involved in the murder. One son, Lucas Cezar, who confessed to his participation in the murder by buying the weapon, received a seven-year-sentence. Flordelis’s son Flávio, who was the one to actually pull the trigger, received 33 years in jail. Flordelis’s co-defendant, daughter Simone dos Santos Rodrigues, was sentenced to jail for 31 years, four months and 20 days for her part in the deadly scheme. Three others, including one biological son and another adopted son, were given prison sentences 

Two of Flordelis’s other children and the granddaughter who were also accused were acquitted of murder and attempted murder. However, it is unclear what exactly happened to her other children and where they are now.

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