Olivia Kelleher
A man has been charged with the murder of 28-year-old Brazilian national Bruna Fonseca, who was found dead in an apartment on Liberty Street in Cork City on New Year's Day.
Miller Pacheco (29) appeared before a special sitting of Cork District Court on Monday. Mr Pacheco is originally from Formiga in Brazil but had been living in a room in the property at 5 Liberty Street,
He was charged in connection with the death of his former partner, Ms Fonseca.
Evidence of arrest, charge and caution was given to the court by Detective Garda Padraig Harrington.
The court heard Mr Pacheco made no reply when the charge, which was translated for him by an interpreter, was put to him under caution at 3.57pm on Monday.
Defence solicitor Aoife Buttimer asked that her client receive all necessary medical treatment whilst in custody.
Free legal aid was granted in the case after Ms Buttimer told Judge John King that her client was employed but was in receipt of a low income.
Mr Pacheco was remanded in custody to appear before Cork District Court again on January 9th when he will appear by video link.
Sgt Pat Lyons said a translator will be required for the brief hearing.
Ms Fonseca was originally from Formiga in Minas Gerais, Brazil and was a qualified librarian.
She graduated from Centro Universitario de Formiga in 2018 and moved to Cork in 2022 where she worked as a contract cleaner in the Mercy University Hospital.
Her body was removed from the apartment at lunchtime on New Year's Day and the scene was sealed off to facilitate a forensic examination.
A post-mortem examination of Ms Fonseca's body was also carried out at Cork University Hospital by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster, the results of which are not being released for operational reasons, gardaí said.
