A Brazilian woman who was accused of taking a dead man to a bank to sign a loan has recounted the incident in an interview, foreign media reports. Erika de Souza shed tears as she shared her side of the story, saying, "I’m not that person people are talking about, I’m not that monster."
In her first interview since her release, Erika tearfully expressed her anguish, denying any malicious intent. In a report published by Metro, Erika, while speaking to Brazilian media, claimed she only learnt of her uncle's death when emergency responders arrived at the bank.
"The days away from my family have been horrible, very difficult. I didn’t realise my uncle was dead. It’s absurd what people are saying," Erika was quoted as saying by Brazilian TV programme Fantastico, Metro reports.
Erika, in fact, also attributed her hazy memory of the incident to the effects of medication, and said, "As I’m undergoing treatment, I was taking a sleeping pill called Zolpidem and took more than I should have."
After spending 16 days in prison, Erika was released last week - further investigation is underway. She faced charges of vilifying a corpse and attempted theft through fraud. Additionally, police have launched a manslaughter probe.
