Woman Who Brought Dead Man In Wheelchair To Bank Says, 'I'm not a monster'

Viral Video: A viral video on the internet featured Erika de Souza, a Brazilian woman accused of taking a dead man to a bank to sign a loan. In an interview, tears welled in her eyes as she expressed, “I’m not the person people are portraying, and I’m not that monster.”

In her first interview since the video went viral, Erika expressed her anger and denied the accusition. In a report published by Metro, Erika, while speaking to Brazilian media, claimed she only learnt of her uncle's death when emergency responders arrived at the bank.

"The days away from my family have been horrible, very difficult. I didn’t realise my uncle was dead. It’s absurd what people are saying," Erika was quoted as saying by Brazilian TV programme Fantastico, Metro reports.

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Erika also mentioned that her memory of the incident was due to the effects of medication, stating, "As I’m undergoing treatment, I was taking a sleeping pill called Zolpidem and took more than I should have." Additionally, she asserted that her uncle had given consent for her assistance, emphasizing that she was not his caregiver.

After spending 16 days in prison, Erika was released last week and a further investigation into the case was on. She faced charges of vilifying a corpse and attempted theft through fraud. Additionally, the police have launched a manslaughter probe.

Erika was released on bail, with the judge citing her mental health condition and her role as a caregiver to her specially-abled daughter as reasons for her release. As of now, a trial date has yet to be scheduled.