This Latina Book Influencer Was Stabbed to Death at Work—Her Family Is Demanding Justice
She was on her lunch break. Sitting in the food court of a São Paulo shopping center. Just living her life.
Tais Bruna de Castro, a 36-year-old Brazilian book influencer and travel agent, was brutally stabbed more than 20 times on June 2. The perpetrator was a man who, according to police, was mad because she didn’t show any interest in him. He then smashed windows, broke into an office, and was later arrested after turning himself in.
Her murder shocked the literary world—and the internet—where she had quietly built a warm, joyful corner through her book blog and Instagram page Leitora Fashion. Now, her family is using that platform to say: she cannot just be another number.
The Book Influencer Was Killed After Rejecting a Man’s Advances, Police Say
According to reports, Tais Bruna de Castro was having lunch at the Beco Fino shopping complex in Jundiaí, São Paulo. It was then that 40-year-old Cláudio Elizeu, a cleaner who worked at the same mall, approached her and launched a violent attack.
The military police report that Elizeu admitted to killing her because she didn’t want a relationship with him. Daily Mail reported that they were not close, nor did they have any established relationship. He stabbed her more than 20 times before barricading himself in an office space, destroying property, and then surrendering to police.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured the entire incident.
Her Family Used Her Book Influencer Page to Break the News
A heartbreaking post on her Leitora Fashion Instagram account announced Tais’s death. The page, where she often talked about her favorite reads and chatted with fellow book lovers, had over 8,000 followers at the time.
“This week, our dear Tais Bruna, the owner of this profile, left us in a very sad and even unbelievable way,” her family wrote in a black-and-white tribute post. “Leitora Fashion was one of her joys. Talking about literature, recommending new works, and chatting with you here made her day happier.”
They added: “Her smile, her sweetness, and all the joy she always spread will remain forever in our hearts. Toda,y heaven gained one of the most special people that has ever passed through this world.”
The #JustiçaPorTais Movement Is Calling Out Brazil’s Femicide Crisis
In a follow-up post, Tais’s family made it clear that this isn’t just about grief—it’s about justice.
“We can’t let her be just another case, another number,” the caption read. “The literary community on social media, led by Tais’ friends, started the #JustiçaPorTais movement. And we want it to reach even further.”
Their demand? Stronger laws against femicide in Brazil, a country that continues to see high levels of gender-based violence, especially against women in public spaces. According to Daily Mail, police are currently investigating the murder under Brazil’s femicide protocol.
Her family continued: “We want life imprisonment, the death penalty. And whatever else can be done against this type of crime. Help spread this message, so that our voice is heard in the four corners of the country.”
This Isn’t the First Book Influencer—or Latina Creator—to Be Murdered Recently
Tais’s death is part of a chilling trend that’s seen Latina creators across Latin America become targets of horrific violence.
Just weeks earlier, Daily Mail reported that a hitman posing as a delivery driver shot 22-year-old Colombian influencer María José Estupiñán at point-blank range. In Jalisco, Mexico, 23-year-old TikToker Valeria Márquez was gunned down during a livestream inside her beauty salon.
The pattern is horrifying. And Tais’s death has reignited conversations about how violence against women—including creators, influencers, and working professionals—is often downplayed until it’s too late.
