Author of books on Flordelis, Elize and Suzane criticizes the idolatry of criminals

Ullisses Campbell reveals the furious reaction of two of the condemned to his books and analyzes the public’s fascination with bloodthirsty stories

“Cruelty is one of mankind’s oldest pleasures,” wrote the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the greatest critics of the human instinct to do the worst.

Killing or having someone killed is among the cruellest acts, whatever the motivation: jealousy, greed, envy…

Suzane Von Richthofen, Elize Matsunaga and Flordelis de Souza have gained space in journalism with heinous crimes that defy understanding.

Why does a rich young woman organize the murder of her parents? What drives a wife to shoot her husband and dismember her body? How does a religious leader commit the mortal sin of murder?

Journalist Ullisses Campbell wrote the Murderous Women trilogy about the three inmates. An arduous chronicle work on their personality, life and hateful deeds committed by them.

In this interview, he comments on the details of the writing process and the reactions of the main characters of ‘Suzane – Murderer and Manipulator’, ‘Elize Matsunaga – The Woman Who Dismembered Her Husband’ and ‘Flordelis – The Shepherd of the Devil’ ( Editora Matrix ).

Were you impressed when you got access to the details of the crimes they committed?

When I researched Suzane’s book, I was shocked by the crimes committed by Suzane’s cellmates and the Cravinhos brothers, which are much worse crimes than Suzane’s crimes are in the book. Since I already knew the crime of Suzane and his brothers, I didn’t have that impact. When I made Elize’s book, I already had more experience with these kinds of topics, so it didn’t have much impact. Indeed, there is little crime in the book… The most shocking is what Elize herself committed. In this book I dealt more with the universe of prostitution. Flordelis struck me because she didn’t have a family, but a criminal organization. She caught my attention the way she pretended to be Brazil’s mother, when in reality she harbored drug dealers and bandits in her home. With the story of Flordelis and other religious leaders, I was outraged to see how people use spirituality to commit crimes in the name of God, it is very absurd.

Was there any attempt by Suzane, Elize and Flordelis to monitor or censor your work? Have they read the respective work?

Suzane went to court and won. She held the book locked for 35 days before release, but the STF released the book. She even tried to stop the book buying in court, but she lost everything. I know Suzane read it and was very upset, according to cellmates. She even threw the book against the wall. Elize read it too, but she never objected to the book. On the contrary, she has sent letters addressed to her daughter for me to include in her book. I don’t know if he liked her, but she wasn’t against it. I don’t know if Flordelis read it because the book just came out, but when she was arrested she asked me, through a lawyer, to write 20 questions. She replied and I included it in the book. While I was writing the questions, the cover of the book was leaked and another inmate brought it to her in prison. Flordelis didn’t like it and she definitely cut ties. I always make it clear that the three books are unauthorized biographies, so ideally these people have no say in the publication. It’s a third party look at them and not a look at them. I do not insist that they position themselves on the works.

How do you analyze the celebrity status attributed to the three convicts? Blame the press?

It’s not the press’s fault… If this content is relevant, it’s because someone is consuming it. I think it’s part of our culture to follow the lives of these criminals, to turn them into celebrities. When Suzane gets out of prison, the public wants to know what color of nail polish she uses, what shade of blonde she has in her hair… People also follow Elize and comment that when she comes out she is thinner and in another slightly overweight. I’m shocked to see how people turn criminals into celebrities, but it’s not the press’s fault. Also because a large part of this cult of criminals as celebrities takes place on social networks.

In all three cases, the criminals’ fame overshadowed their victims. This popularity phenomenon is reminiscent of philosopher Hannah Arendt’s theory of the banality of evil. Are we increasingly insensitive to violence?

I don’t think so… The public has always had this fascination, it’s nothing new. People like tragedy. When death gets very close, it also awakens the curiosity to understand it. This happens, for example, when we go through a traffic accident. The cars are also slow not because of any impediment, but because everyone wants to see what happened. True crime productions also demonstrate this appeal, as they are a worldwide phenomenon. This has more to do with the morbid interest of human beings than the fame of criminals.

Is there an intention to turn the books into documentary series, podcasts or other audiovisual products?

The royalties from Suzane and Elize’s books have already been sold to a streaming platform. They will make the stories into a series. I will be part of the writing team, but I don’t have much information because it’s still in a very embryonic stage. I like to see books transformed into other products because that makes the works reach more people.

What other crime story characters would you like to write about?

In 2023, in addition to participating in this script to make the first two books ‘Suzane – Murderer and Manipulator’ and ‘Elize Matsunaga – The Woman Who Slashed Her Husband’ into a series, I will update Suzane’s book with reference to the 40th anniversary of his life and at the age of 20 that the crime is committed. It will have a new expanded edition. Now that I’ve finished my Women Killers trilogy, I’m thinking of writing about a male killer. I’m still in the research phase, to understand who this criminal would be, because not all murder stories have elements to compose a complete work.

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Source: Terra

Larkin

Amanda Larkin is a celebrity journalist at Gossipify, known for her in-depth interviews and unique perspectives on the entertainment industry. She covers celebrity news and gossip, providing readers with engaging and informative content, and understanding of the inner workings of the industry. She’s respected for keeping readers up to date with the latest trends and providing a fresh perspective on the celebrity world.