Brazilian player brutally murdered

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By Anthony Sormani, Special to SI.com, Goal.com

Brazil is in mourning after former Vasco de Gama player Thiago da Silva was brutally tortured and murdered, allegedly by hired assassins on the orders of his ex-girlfriend.

Da Silva, 25, who had been playing for second-division team Estacio de Sa Soccer Club, died in a Rio de Janeiro hospital Wednesday night, six days after being mortally shot in an attack by three men on a soccer field.

According to reports from the local police, the instigator of the crime is da Silva's former girlfriend.

Before he passed away, da Silva was able to tell the police that he had fallen into a trap last Thursday evening, shortly after discussing the end of his relationship with his girlfriend, Alyne Padula.

The former Vasco player was overwhelmed by three people (including a member of the military police), all of whom are friends of the girl's aunt.

He was handcuffed, beaten and tortured. When he tried to flee he was hit by three bullets.

Both the former girlfriend and her aunt, Marcia Padula Viana, were arrested on Sunday as instigators of the crime, and accused of hiring the assassins to kill da Silva.