213: Into My Arms, The Murder of Beatriz Lebre | Portugal

213. Into My Arms, The Murder of Beatriz Lebre | Portugal - SD 480p === [00:00:00] You are listening to the Evidence Locker. Thank you for choosing our podcast. Our sponsors make it possible for us to keep bringing you new episodes. Please support them as they have some great deals just for you. Our listeners, if you prefer to listen to ad free content, simply find us on Patreon where plants start from as little as $2 a month. 25% of these proceeds are donated to the Dough Network. Working to bring closure to international cold cases. For more information, follow the link in the show notes. Our cases deal with true crimes and real people. Some parts of graphic in nature and listener discretion is advised. Each episode is produced with the utmost respect to the victims, their families, and loved ones. On Saturday, May 23rd, 2020, Portuguese media was flooded with the following news. A 23 year old woman born in Elvas. Has been missing since [00:01:00] yesterday evening. The young woman currently lives in Lisbon and attends the University Institute of Lisbon, I S C T E, where she's doing her master's degree in social and organizational psychology. The alert was given when the young woman had agreed to meet with colleagues and friends, but never showed up. The competent authorities have already been notified of the case while friends and family are gathering to look for the young woman. The young woman in question was Beatrice Lere. The entire academic community and family members gathered and launched a search. They started with places she was known to frequent, but there was no sign of her. The streets of Lisbon were gradually filled with small groups looking for beat trees, wondering what could have happened to her. Soon speculation began that she had met with foul play and police began looking. At her inner circle.[00:02:00] Born in 1997, Beatrice Lere was a charismatic young woman who overflowed with happiness and talent, daughter of Paula and Carlos Lere. Beatrice loved music. This love was supported by her family who saw to it that she took piano lessons from an early age. In addition, her taste for literature was awakened at a very young age, mostly thanks to her parents who always read to her every night before going to bed. This passion for reading stayed with her and growing older. She loved choosing her own books to read with a future career as an artist, pretty much mapped out for her. Beatrice realized that she did not wanna make a living for [00:03:00] music. Instead, she preferred to play recreationally for herself and for her family and friends. So when it was time for her to decide what to study, she chose the field of psychology because she loved the idea of working with people and helping them. She was a humanitarian through and through who placed other people's problems before her own. So to follow her dream of becoming a psychologist, she headed to Lisbon about 125 miles away from home where she lived. For the three year duration of her degree, she stayed at her uncle's house with her cousin, also a student. After finishing the first part of her studies, Beatrice felt the need to specialize in an area of psychology, and so she enrolled to complete a master's degree. Initially, she told her mother that she wanted to pursue something related to the study of psychopathy, but she ended up following the field of social psychology as the subject of psychopathy seemed too obscure at the time. Beatrice always studious and diligent was one of the best students [00:04:00] in her class. This work ethic has always been a part of beatrice's makeup. Playing the piano was challenging for someone with small hands, but she forced herself to practice for hours on end to overcome this obstacle. Her master's degree schedule left her with a lot of free time, so she decided to work to become financially independent and fulfill her lifelong dream of visiting France and learning French resorting to her childhood memories. Beatrice found the perfect job opportunity. Working at the Disney store. Besides all of her hobbies, she loved meeting new people and forging new friendships. She was such a charming person that her presence was noted at work and everywhere she went, her humanitarian side was also awakened at an early age. She wanted a dignified life for all people and despised abuse in any form. She had empathy for those who are perceived to be weaker or to disadvantage, and did whatever she could to help. When she was six years old, she began to show interest in learning sign language so she could communicate with a classmate at school who was [00:05:00] always alone because she had hearing problems and couldn't make any friends Beatrice's deemed of a better world, and she firmly believed that every attitude, no matter how small, could have an impact on other people's lives. She meant a lot to many people, and when she did not show up for class on Friday morning, May 22nd, it did not go unnoticed. Beatrice's college classmates knew that something must be wrong when she didn't show up to present a paper. Since Beatrice always put her studies first, it was very strange that she was a no-show. In fact, she didn't even send a message to let them know she wouldn't be there worried. Her classmates called Beatrice's mother to ask if she had perhaps gone home to Elvis, but her mom, Paula said that she wasn't there either. Paula immediately went to Lisbon to try and figure out what was going on. Still, she was not too worried. She remained calm because she firmly believed that her daughter was with someone who needed help with something. However, when Beatrice's friends informed her that she had missed her assignment [00:06:00] presentation, Paula grew concerned no matter how serious someone's issue was. Beatrice would always contact her mother or close friends to ask for help, let them in on the situation. And there was no way she would've neglected to go to her presentation. Beatrice's father Carlos joined his wife in Lisbon, and they obtained keys to Beatrice's apartment in Jayla, where Beatrice was living with her cousin. Despite living together, she had not been in contact with her due to the atypical situation the world had been facing since 2020. Covid 19, her cousin was in isolation at home in Elvis, which meant that Beatrice was home alone, accompanied by two Beatrice's friends. Who was attending the same master's course as her, the concerned parents made their way to the house. When they arrived, the scenario wasn't settling. The main light was on and on top of the dining table were Beatrice's belongings her wallet with all of her documents and her mobile phone. These were signs that Beatrice left in a hurry. At least this [00:07:00] was the thought of the young girl's mother when she said with a light on the documents and her mobile phone. I believe she left in a hurry to help someone. I, I just don't understand why she hasn't returned yet. Ruben Kudo Beatrice's friend who was with her parents immediately agreed going out to help someone. That's something Beatrice would do for any friend. The reasoning behind Beatrice's mother's thoughts was because the house was immaculate, it had not been broken into, and everything was clearly in place and tidy. This led them to believe that Beatrice was not forced to leave her house judging by the scene she had left of her own accord, but Paula Lere was not satisfied. She knew something was terribly wrong. She knew her daughter better than anyone. Even though Beatrice is in Lisbon and her mother is in Elvas, they remain close and were in constant contact and a routine exchange of calls. Carlos, Paula, and Beatrice's friends left the apartment and rushed to the police station. There was a few meters away from the apartment building when they got there. Paula wanted to file a missing [00:08:00] person's report regarding her daughter's disappearance, but because Beatrice was of legal age, she was unable to do so. According to the law, a person of legal age can disappear without having to announce their departure to anyone, and only if there is evidence of a crime will the public ministry open an investigation to look for the person. In Portugal, 4,000 missing person cases are reported to the authorities every year. From all of these cases, there are very few who have not turned up or who were victims of crime. Beatrice's case did not appear to be a disappearance due to a crime. There was also no probable cause for her being missing, seeing as since she had no enemies and was loved by all. It was predicted that in the 24 hours that followed, she would be at home again and that her absence would be explained. After failing to file a police report, her parents and friends went back to the city to check other possible places that they had missed an air search. Beatrice's mother was reassured by the police and wanted to believe what they communicated to them. [00:09:00] Your daughter will be home in a matter of hours. An officer had said, And without any trace of Beatrice, they had to trust that she would turn up soon. They went home for the first of many sleepless nights. On the next day, May 24th, the family tried to stick to their usual routine, anxiously waiting, hoping that Beatrice would resurface. Paula dealt with the household chores because she was sure that at any moment her daughter would call her as she had always done. But this was not the case. The day passed and there was no information about Beatrice's whereabouts. Not from her friends, not from the police. It seemed that everyone felt that she would return at any moment except for one person, her close friend, Ruben Kudo. Ruben wanted to continue searching for Beatrice in other places, not yet searched. Ruben had the idea to create a group on WhatsApp that included everyone. Beatrice, new family, friends, fellow students. This would be the most effective way to let everyone know if there was any news as the days dragged [00:10:00] on with no sign of Beatrice. Paula began to fear the worst. What if she didn't show up without any answers? The local police passed the case to the criminal investigation police who began to do investigative work in the background because they believed that it could be a criminal case. Unlike countries like the United States of America, the Portuguese police do not share any information about the investigation while it's ongoing, not even to the alleged victim's own family. The law states that information about the investigation should not be passed on to the public. Because they believe that any information that is shared could damage the investigation and prevent the truth from being uncovered. That being said, no one knows what evidence the police have, let alone whether anyone is already a suspect in the case because they're kept in the dark. The families of victims are always desperate for answers and wonders if enough is being done to solve the case, as in many other cases where there is a disappearance. The possibility of someone in Beatrice's Inner Circle knowing her location [00:11:00] was very likely. And that's where the first line of inquiry started. Who was she with on that day? Was Beatrice being threatened by someone for some reason and managed to hide it from everyone, or did she just wanna disappear without a trace? The ladder did not seem likely. Surprisingly, within 48 hours of the report being filed, the police claimed to have a suspect in the case. And this is where the story began to take an unsettling turn with Paula Lere lost in her own thoughts, searching for answers. A new day dawned with the police entering Ruben Kudos house to take him in for questioning. At the investigating police station, everybody was in disbelief at what the police had discovered that could make Ruben a suspect. Beatrice's mother was confused. According to Paula, Ruben was a college friend of her daughters and they only exchanged messages mainly during the pandemic Is be Attrited with all her friends. What did he have to do with her disappearance according to evidence that the police were able to obtain from the victim's mobile phone? They were in [00:12:00] fact more than just friends. They were boyfriend and girlfriend. The problem was that nobody knew about the relationship because Beatrice had a boyfriend in Elvas. Despite Beatrice being discreet about a relationship, her close friends and her mother knew about her boyfriend back home. For some, the story was beginning to make sense for others, like in Paula's case, it was even more confusing. Paula tried to explain that Ruben was a friend of her daughters and that they had known each other since the beginning of her master's degree. Moreover, Ruben seemed genuinely concerned about Beatrice and was also desperate to find her. According to Paula, Ruben was not to blame for anything, and they simply wanted to name a culprit because he couldn't possibly be involved in her disappearances. He set up a whole search operation and kept in constant contact with the family and friends for new information that could help find her while Ruben was being interrogated by the police. Bellow students began to reveal a little of what was left unsaid at the beginning. According to Beatrice's friends, [00:13:00] Ruben was obsessed with her. It was bordering on an unhealthy obsession to talk about a constant search for attention and desire for her. But reportedly, she never wanted anything to do with him, and as her mother had said, she would do anything to help a friend no matter what problem. But apparently the problem he had was with Beatrice herself. In unrequited love still. Why did they think that he was the one behind her disappearance? Ruben Kuo was a bright 24 year old young man with humanistic interests, known as the person who everyone liked. He had a friendly demeanor and was always ready to help with a strong interest in music, literature, and cinema, who was an aspirant for the master's degree course in social psychology. Using his writing skills, he even wrote two articles for a nationally renowned newspaper. In the first text published in November, 2019, Ruben wrote a text dedicated to a national band that he had great admiration for, [00:14:00] and that article, this passage stands out the resonance of the Best That Is in You. That is the band leader continues to make the monster in Me Tremble. Ruben was referring to an album that the band released in 1999 under the name The Monster Needs Friends. Ruben didn't just write about issues close to his heart or the ones that troubled him the most. Far beyond that, he acted and fought for what he truly believed in after his return from a volunteer program. Ruben recorded a two minute video in which he talked about his experience during his volunteer internship in Mozambique Engulf with Joy and with a spirit of social responsibility. Ruben said my big goal was to work towards quality education, but fortunately I was able to do much more than that. I ended up working with institutions in the Fight against Poverty, where I raised awareness and housed children and young people who were homeless. And my whole project around these institutions was incredible in the sense that we communicated with other volunteers from all over the world and created a community. All this allowed me to reflect on [00:15:00] my existence. It gave me a different perspective on the values of life, seeing all those orphaned kids running after us, because the only thing that they wanted was a little bit of affection. On his return, he demonstrated a sensitivity that goes beyond borders. Africa showed him a reality that the modern west cannot replicate. The value of the little things, and this is how we intended to lead his life. His fellow university classmates described him as a charismatic and humorous person, as well as flirtatious. This is why people found it so hard to believe he had anything to do with Beatrice's disappearance. Police interrogated Ruben for hours and confronted him with irrefutable evidence. Not only did Beatrice's mobile phone prove that the two had been together for the past few days. But it also proved that Ruben was the last person to be with Beatrice. Furthermore, Beatrice's apartment was not as clean as her mother bought at first. Upon closer inspection of the scene, the police collected traces of blood that belonged to [00:16:00] Beatrice enough to confirm that some kind of assault had occurred there. In addition, the card that Ruben was using, which belonged to his father, was also analyzed, and they uncovered blood evidence, blood belonging to Beatrice. They also realized that someone had tried to clean those blood marks, but blood, it's not so easy to clean up. Ruben had his back against the wall and without an alibi. He ended up confessing to the agents what Paula feared. Beatrice was dead. The agents quickly left with Ruben in the direction of the TE show River, the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. According to them, Ruben had thrown Beatrice's body into the river after killing her. His night fell. A cacophony of resources congregated on the riverbank. Police joined forces with the maritime police to conduct a search divers took to the water. Underwater equipment was launched into the river and teams scoured the shore. All of this occurred with a handcuffed Ruben looking on appearing to be shaken and [00:17:00] bewildered. Ruben was taken back to the police station where he would stay overnight while the authorities located the body. The search carried on all night, but the next morning made things even more confusing. They had found no trace of Beatrice, although Ruben had confessed that he threw the body into the Tasha River. It had to be recovered to prove that Ruben was telling the truth. There was the possibility that the court could exonerate Ruben if Beatrice's body didn't turn up. And what about her family? Would they have closure with nobody to bury in addition to the body not being found? The police told the media that Ruben had been urgently transported to the hospital. During the morning of Thursday, the 28th of May, Ruben managed to cut his wrists in the cell where he was awaiting trial, where he was taken for admission to the South Jose Hospital in Lisbon. His condition was serious and no one knew if he would survive his injuries. Meanwhile, the authorities were still on the scene searching for the missing body, and newspapers were already speculating. That Ruben's [00:18:00] obsession led to his killing of Beatrice. Her mother was approached by a journalist and Bradley said, we can only control what is in our power. Paula New Ruben is Beatrice's friend from college and added that he was a nice, cultured and intelligent boy. He was quite similar to her daughter and he had many shared interests. He was a normal guy who had no reason to hint that he would've committed this horrendous crime. As police searchers still came up empty in the search for Beatrice. A call came in from Santa App. It was around 3:30 PM on the Friday after her disappearance when a local resident who was walking along the river found a body floating in it. The body was taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification. Since it was already in an advanced state of decomposition, it was soon confirmed that the body was Beatrice Lere. The forensic lab had formed investigators that Beatrice did everything she could to save her own life. She had struggled with her killer and defensive wounds on her hands, prove that she put them in [00:19:00] front of her face to protect herself, but it was not enough at the scene in the river, a few meters away from the body. Was an iron rod that was to be analyzed too. Ruben appeared in front of a judge the very next day and was charged with first degree murder and concealment of a corpse charges that could lead to a sentence of up to 25 years behind bars. The judge ordered Ruben to remain in pretrial detention. Ruben's lawyer agreed since he was a suicide risk and he would be safer in jail, where he could be monitored still in shock with events unfolding regarding her daughter's accused murderer. Paula Lere spoke out publicly about the case. I don't know what I'm going to do there. My daughter is dead and the judge is the one who decides Ruben's punishment. She added that although Beatrice was her daughter, she was a girl of the world, she belonged to everyone, and for this reason, she could not foresee that something like this would happen even because she could not lock her up at home. I didn't want to keep my daughter locked up at home like some parents tried to do when their children gain autonomy. That seems wrong to [00:20:00] me. She belonged to the world. I mean, now I think I shouldn't have given her so much space, but. I did. Paula said that her daughter was in Lisbon studying psychology to support her true passion, the piano. She believed that she was one of the last people Beatrice must have talked to on her mobile phone that night. Beatrice said she was tired and that she was planning to improve her diet when it came to Ruben. Paula added that she may have raised her daughter Beatrice wrong. I don't think I prepared Beatrice for evil, but what exactly happened between Ruben and Beatrice that caused things to take such a dark turn? When Ruben was charged, a timeline of the crime was revealed in the days leading up to Beatrice's murder. The two of them spent a lot of time together. On May 18th and 19th, Ruben spent the night at Beatrice's house. No one knew about this, not even her cousin who also lived there. They took advantage of the fact that Beatrice was home alone. To be together. The next day, Ruben picked Beatrice up from home to go to his parents' house in Val De [00:21:00] where they spent the night. Ruben's parents were the only ones who knew about their love affair and believed that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. They had no reason to suspect that the relationship was a secret. He left around 1:00 PM the next day, and Ruben took Beatrice back to her home in Lisbon, but they met again that night for a walk and were together until three in the morning. Beatrice had to go back to Elba the following day to see her parents. Ruben told the court how he wanted to be with her before she left. Only. It wasn't possible. Since she had told him she was going to meet up with some friends, this was not what Ruben wanted to hear. It was then that Ruben Kuo unable to take no for an answer, left the house with an iron rod and headed for Beatrice's house where he knew she would be alone with his mobile phone and flight mode. Ruben headed to his girlfriend's apartment with the worst intentions. When he arrived, he rang the bell and Beatrice surprised by the unplanned visit let him in. This is why there was no sign of any kind of breaking at the door. [00:22:00] From the moment the door closed, Ruben took out the baton, had hidden and struck Beatrice with several blows, including two head blows that proved to be fatal. Beatrice died on the spot, and Ruben suddenly in a panic, realized he had to dispose of her body. He spent the next five hours at her house cleaning up the blood evidence, but the worst part was yet to come. Ruben needed to get rid of the body to throw the authorities off guard, but the building was too busy to leave at that hour. So he had to wait even longer. During this time, Ruben also took the opportunity to send a message from Risa's Mobile phone to one of her friends saying that she wouldn't meet up with them because she was too tired. As soon as the night fell and the noise took over the city, Ruben carried Beatrice's body on his back to his car that was in the parking lot, just outside. Nobody saw anything. He then drove about four kilometers to the Tajo River where he dumped the body. It was all over. And it was time for him to [00:23:00] return home as if nothing had happened. The next day, he managed to pull himself together and acted sufficiently concerned that he had not heard from her. While Ruben was on remand in Lisbon Prison, facing a possible sentence of 25 years, an event changes the course of the case. Ruben ended his own life because he was on suicide watch. Prison guards checked in on him every hour. He had been beaten by another inmate a few days earlier. And was fragile as a result of all the events. His wounds had been bandaged, and this is where he saw an opportunity. In the hour between guards checking in, Ruben uses bandages to hang himself. Upon receiving the news, Beatrice's mother wrote on social media to express her condolences to Ruben's family. She would later state that she did it because Ruben's parents also lost the child and she had empathy with their situation. In addition, She also realized the amount of hate that there was for Ruben on social media since it was announced that [00:24:00] Ruben put an end to his life, the messages of celebration for his death increased every second by the cybernetics. Paula's message served to neutralize the hateful reactions aimed at Ruben. She even went so far as to state that Ruben is a normal boy, 24 years old, who could well be my son. I must therefore pay my respects to his family. Beatrice's mother commented on the fact that he had ended his life. I should have talked to him. It was the least he could have done. I needed answers, but sadly, it is too late. There was no longer anyone to blame or to judge. It was a tragedy to everyone who knew and loved the two young and talented students. In hindsight, Ruben displayed characteristics that we now know are related to psychopathy. Up to the time of the murder, his life was going well, but since he was caught and arrested, nothing made sense anymore. Because Beatrice was no longer alive, he could not cope with her choosing to see her friends overseeing him. [00:25:00] And this inability to control his emotions led to a fatal behavioral reaction on Ruben's part, perhaps outta shame. And because he was aware that the act he committed was repulsed by society, he took his own life again, showing that he did not know how to face a difficult situation. Beatrice's taste in music was well known to everyone. She wanted to be a pianist. Moreover, Beatrice Drew great inspiration from Nick Cave. It should be remembered that Nick Cave also lost two sons in 2015. 15 year old Arthur lost his life when he fell off a cliff and the eldest 31 year old Jethro passed away last year. A pain that cannot be shared, but that Nick believed there was always a way out of. After the death of his son, Arthur, Nick began to receive hundreds of letters from fans who reported having been through the same thing, and who felt his pain. In 2020 at a festival where Nick was performing, the singer said on stage that he had received a beautiful letter dedicated to Beatrice Lere. It was her [00:26:00] mother, Paula, who had sent it, touched by the content. Nick dedicated the emotional song into my arms to her. In his texts, Ruben talked about choice free will and human dignity. Perhaps all of which he did not do by a twist of fate. Beatrice ended up dying in his arms, although that day she realized that Ruben was not at hiss best. Beatrice opened the door for him because despite everything she believed in love. If you'd like to read more about this case, have a look at the resources used for this episode in the show notes. Also, visit us on social media to see more about today's case. We're on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also check out our channel on YouTube. If you like what we do here at Evidence Locker, subscribe an Apple podcast or wherever you are listening right now and kindly leave a five star review. This was the evidence locker. Thank you for listening.[00:27:00]