Wallace Souza (12 August 1958 – 27 July 2010) was a Brazilian

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was an elected member of the

Legislative Assembly of Amazonas The Legislative Assembly of Amazonas ( pt, Assembleia Legislativa do Estado do Amazonas or ALEAM) is the state legislature of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. The parliament was founded in 1852 as the Provincial Legislature of the province ...

until his expulsion in October 2009. Souza was commonly known for presenting the controversial news program '' Canal Livre''. In 2009 Wallace was subject to worldwide media coverage when police launched an investigation into claims that he had arranged for murders to occur in order to boost ratings for his program. Souza died after being formally charged with murder before trial. Two alleged confederates were found not guilty, but Souza's son Rafael was sentenced to nine years for

homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

Early and personal life

Wallace Souza was born in

Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...

, Amazonas,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. He obtained degrees at the College of Business São Luiz Gonzaga and the State College Basílio Machado, and also attended the Center for Study of Human Behavior and University Nilton Lins. He was married and had four children. In 1979, Souza became a police officer, but was fired after he was arrested for pension fraud and petrol theft in 1987.

Career

Political career

Souza was first elected in 1998 by the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He later took leadership of the Social Christian Party. He was elected to the

in 2000, and was re-elected in 2002. In 2003 he was made Parliamentary.

Broadcasting career

Souza began presenting '' Canal Livre'' in 1996. The program, which was described as "

investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

aimed at fighting crime and social injustice," ran until late 2008. Drawing large audiences, the program showed police raids and arrests, with presenters often following police chases in a helicopter. It was one of the most popular shows in Manaus.

Criminal accusations

In 2009, Souza attracted international media attention when he was accused of hiring

hitmen Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

to kill five people to increase the ratings of his program. Suspicions were raised because he was frequently first to the scene of a crime, gathering graphic footage of the victims. A former police officer, Moacir Jorge da Costa, claimed he carried out one of the murders. Souza and his legal team denied Souza's involvement with the murders. Souza's son, Raphael, was arrested and is currently in prison facing charges of

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

and illegal gun possession. Weapons, ammunition and cash were discovered at Souza's home when the police conducted a search. In October 2009, he was presented with charges of murder,

drug-trafficking The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

, intimidation of witnesses, illegal carrying of arms and formation of a criminal gang. He was also expelled from the state assembly. After an arrest warrant was issued, Souza disappeared and 60 civil and federal police began to search for him. Road blocks were mounted to try to stop him from leaving Manaus. He subsequently gave himself up to police on October 9, 2009. He repeatedly proclaimed his innocence. His brother, vice-mayor Carlos Souza, requested that when sent to prison he have his own cell and be separated from fellow inmates. Vanessa Lima, the former producer of the program, was arrested in December 2009.

Death

Souza, who suffered from

Budd–Chiari syndrome Budd–Chiari syndrome is a very rare condition, affecting one in a million adults. The condition is caused by occlusion of the hepatic veins that drain the liver. It presents with the classical triad of abdominal pain, ascites, and liver enlarge ...

, died on 27 July 2010 of a heart attack. He died in a hospital in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, where he had been since March 2010.

In media

Series

* 2018: '' Blood Pact'', a crime drama television series released on

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

loosely based on the real-life story of Wallace Souza. * 2019: '' Killer Ratings'', a

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

documentary series focusing on Wallace Souza and Canal Livre.

References

External links

Profile

Party website

Wallace Souza
{{DEFAULTSORT:Souza, Wallace 1958 births 2010 deaths Brazilian criminals Brazilian television presenters Liberal Party (Brazil, 1985) politicians Members of the Legislative Assembly of Amazonas People charged with murder People from Manaus Progressistas politicians Social Christian Party (Brazil) politicians Suspected serial killers