Brazilian star guilty of kidnapping lover

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)

The captain of the Flamengo team that won the Brazilian championship in 2009 has been found guilty of kidnapping his former lover and trying to force her to abort the child she claimed he'd fathered, officials said Tuesday.

Bruno Fernandes - known in the football world just as Bruno - still faces separate charges of killing the woman, Eliza Samudio. The 25-year-old model disappeared in June 2010.

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A court in Rio de Janeiro sentenced him to four years and six months in prison. An accomplice was sentenced to three years, the court said.

The conviction involves Samudio's 2009 allegation that Bruno and others kidnapped her and tried to force her to take medication to abort the unborn child she had with the goalkeeper.

The child was born and also named Bruno, with custody being awarded to Samudio's mother after a court dispute.

Police said Bruno had arranged for her to be kidnapped in Rio and driven to a rural property he owns in the state of Minas Gerais, where she was beaten and strangled to death by a former policeman and a friend of Bruno's.

Her body was never found. Investigators said it was cut up and fed to dogs.

The player has denied all the charges. His attorney could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The case has rocked football in Brazil, where Flamengo is the most popular club. It suspended Bruno in July.