A woman in the Brazilian province São Paulo has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for murdering her 17-year-old son because of his sexual orientation. She had hired two hitmen, but when they refused to take the boy's life, she took matters into her own hands.

Besides the mother, the two hitmen are also facing jailtime. The Brazilian magazine Veja reports they will be imprisoned for 21 years. The mother allegedly never accepted the sexual orientation of her son, who had come out as homosexual.

In December 2016, the mother lured her son, Itaberli Lozano, to her house. Lozano lived with his grandmother, because of his mother’s attitude to homosexuality. Thinking his mother wanted to make up with him, Lozano went to her house. There, he was beaten up by the two hitmen. When they refused to kill a child, the mother herself stabbed Lozano to death.

Lozano’s stepfather then helped to burn the body of the 17-year-old in a cane field. He still has to wait for his verdict.

During the court hearing, Lozano’s mother claimed she fought with her son, because he used to bring home men and drugs. She emphasized not to be homophobic, but that her son had flown into a rage and threatened to kill her.

According to Out Magazine, the uncle of the victim said: “he had a job, he was very polite, [and] he never quarrelled with anyone. He only had problems with his mother, who did not accept that he was a homosexual.”

The number of hate crimes against LGBT+ individuals in Brazil has been increasing recently. The current president of the South American nation is known for his homo- and transphobic statements. Recently, he said that he didn’t want Brazil to become a “paradise for gay tourism” and that he couldn’t love a gay son.