ICE Arrests 43-Year-Old Brazilian in Massachusetts Woman's Strangling Death

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 1

Federal agents arrested Flavio Alcantara Dias, 43, after prosecutors said he strangled 33-year-old Brianna Connolly inside her Framingham, Massachusetts, home last week.
A 911 call became key evidence: Middlesex County prosecutors said Dias reported "a homicide," then told police he "went crazy and suffocated her" after the pair used drugs and argued when he wanted sex and she did not.
Police found blood marks on Connolly's head and a fabric cord around her neck; prosecutors said Dias later claimed he fell asleep and woke to find her not breathing.
DHS said Dias, a Brazilian national who entered illegally in 2019, had prior DUI and aggravated assault arrests and remained in the U.S. after an immigration judge ended his case in October 2024 on a technicality.
The arrest fits a broader DHS push to highlight crimes involving undocumented immigrants and press local police to honor ICE detainers and cooperate on transfers.