Man throws son out from 18-story building in Brazil

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-19 11:24

RIO DE JANEIRO: A man killed his two-year-old son and then committed suicide on Wednesday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

According to the police, Cassio Rodrigues, 30, threw his son Pedro Branco Couto Rodrigues out from the roof of an 18-story building and then he jumped off the building. Both died instantly.

The police said Rodrigues stopped by his ex-wife's apartment, located in the Chacara Inglesa neighborhood, to see his son.

The boy was being taken care of by a nanny, who left them alone for a minute in order to tend to the laundry. The nanny returned in time to see Rodrigues taking the elevator with the boy, but assumed they were going down.

The police found rat poison in the apartment, along with two glasses with traces of the product in it.

Technicians believed both Rodrigues and the boy might have drunk the poisoned water before going to the roof.

Earlier in the day, Rodrigues called his mother apologizing for "anything that might have caused her to suffer," and left a note to his ex-wife saying that he loved her and wishing her a good day of work, officials said.

According to the ex-wife, Rodrigues did not accept the end of their relationship, which lasted some four years and ended six months ago.

Rodrigues' mother also told the officers that her son used to have a drinking problem, but promised to stop last year.

In April, a similar case occurred in Sao Paulo, when a law professor committed suicide after shooting his five-year-old son to death. The crime occurred days after the sole custody of the boy was granted to the mother.