Who was Marcos Matsunaga and what happened to him?

May 20, 2024

THE murder of millionaire Marcos Matsunaga was one that rocked Brazil.

His wife, Elize Matsunaga was found to be the killer. Here's more about her victim...

Who was Marcos Matsunaga?

Marcos Matsunaga was a food brand entrepreneur.

Matsunaga was the CEO of and heir to a major food company named Yoki, named after its father and Marcos' grandfather, Yoshizo Kitano.

An avid collector of wine and weapons, Marcos met his wife Elize on a site for escorts, M.Class.

The pair had a daughter together.

Bu on May 19, 2012, Elize, who was then 38, killed her 42-year-old husband.

His murder is the subject of Netflix's new documentary series, Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon A Crime.

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The documentary series is produced by São Paulo-based production company Boutique Filmes.

What happened to Marcos Matsunaga?

Marcos was killed on May 19, 2012, in his apartment in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after an argument with his wife about his infidelity.

His body parts were later found by police, spread along a road in the city of Cotia, which is about 20 miles outside Sao Paulo.

Elize was caught after footage emerged of her taking suitcases out of the apartment building.

It later transpired that she had shot her husband and dismembered his body, before putting the pieces into a suitcase.

Chief of the homicide department, Jorge Carrasco, said Mrs Matsunaga had confessed to the murder.

He said: "She confessed spontaneously that she was the perpetrator of the homicide and she also confessed that she acted alone.

"She reaffirmed that it was a crime of passion. It was a marital argument over infidelity."

Elize was sentenced to nineteen years in prison.

The new series about the murder is made up of four episodes of 50 minutes each.

As well as examining the events of that night, the docuseries also delves into Elize's past.

It explores her poverty-stricken childhood in Chopinzinho, a small town in Paraná and the early stages of her relationship with her husband.

It also explores her attempt to cover up the crime, her arrest and confession.

The series was directed by Eliza Capai, who says: "I felt a great moral responsibility to direct this series.

"Not only for Marcos' family and friends, who suffered with this tragedy, but also for Elize's family, people who knew nothing about it, but who also suffer the consequences until this day”.

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What was Marcos Matsunaga's net worth?

Although Marcos' net worth was not known, his father, Mitsuo, was 106th on the list of the richest people in Brazil as of 2014.