© EPADaniel Correa Freitas
The Sao Paulo star's body was discovered in Sao Jose dos Pinhais, a city in Brazil's southern state of Parana, with his genitals cut off and almost decapitated.
The suspects have been named as Edison Brittes Junior, 38, his wife, Cristiana Brittes, and their 18-year-old daughter, Allana Brittes.
Edison has given his version of events, telling the Brasil Urgente program on TV Bandeirantes that he found the midfielder, 24, at his daughter's birthday party.
"[Daniel] had gone in, taken his clothes off and locked the door," Edison said. "I knocked on the door to my room and when I opened it he was on top of my wife and she was screaming and begging for help.
"What I did was what any man would do, because the woman that was there was not my wife, she was every woman in Brazil. It could be your daughter, sister, mother or wife. At that moment it was my wife, Cris, who I have been married to for 20 years."
He added: "The media said a lot of things. My wife never had anything with Daniel, never mind my daughter.
"Rumors always get started but the truth will come out. I know I did what I did, I want everybody watching to think what they would do to keep the moral integrity of your family and help a small and fragile woman.
"When I threw him off my wife, I threw him on the floor and stopped her being raped by that monstrous scumbag."
Edison's friends allegedly tried to stop him from attacking the Sao Paulo star - who belonged to a club in the equivalent of the Premier League - but "they could not do it" because he was angry.
Local media report Daniel had been at Allana Brittes' birthday party at the family home and had sent messages to a friend saying he "was going to eat" the "birthday girl's mum."
And a photo has emerged of Daniel smiling next to an unconscious woman, identified in local media as Cristiana, which he is believed to have sent to his friend.
Edison's daughter is said to have told reporters she had heard screaming from her mother's room and that Daniel had said nothing when he was caught.
She said she had met Daniel one year ago but had never "been involved" with him.
The investigation is ongoing.
Source: The Sun
Reader Comments
Sounds like a typical south American embellished story to me.
We may never really find out what happened. These folks are 'royalty' and as such work by their own rules and regulations. What comes out for the consumption of the 'hoi poloi', Is but a shadow.
This new Purge-like (from the very atrocious movies that have come out) mentality just adds more to how morally destabilized we're becoming.
The businessman who allegedly killed Brazilian soccer player Daniel Correa Freitas says he did so after finding the midfielder in his underwear trying to rape his wife.
I really despise sensational headlines.
The man did get what he deserved if that is what happened. I am not defending the soccer player, just holding the press to a standard, not even a high one.