Man charged with murdering daughter was deported twice, undocumented

Walter DaSilva, of Danbury, Conn. appears in Superior Court for an extradition hearing in Bridgeport, Conn., on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. DaSilva was arrested in Bridgeport on Friday, and is wanted as a suspect in the July 3 fatal shooting of his 19-year old daughter, Sabrina DaSilva, in New Bedford, Mass. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool) less Walter DaSilva, of Danbury, Conn. appears in Superior Court for an extradition hearing in Bridgeport, Conn., on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. DaSilva was arrested in Bridgeport on Friday, and is wanted as a suspect in ... more Photo: Ned Gerard / Associated Press Photo: Ned Gerard / Associated Press Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Man charged with murdering daughter was deported twice, undocumented 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

DANBURY — A city man who police say has admitted murdering his 19-year-old daughter was an undocumented immigrant who had been deported twice and was using aliases to avoid immigration officials.

DaSilva had recently attempted to rekindle his relationship with his daughter after having been sentenced to more than eight year in prison for attempting to kill his ex-wife, Silva, with a knife in 2001. DaSilva, who was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal’s Service in Bridgeport on Aug. 5, was initially arrested on a violation of probation charge while police questioned him about the murder.

“I did it, I killed her,” he told police, according to the affidavit.

According to court documents obtained by The News-Times Thursday, Walter DaSilva, a Brazilian national, had traveled to New Bedford, Massachusetts, on July 3 with the intent of killing his daughter, Sabrina DaSilva, 19, as well as her older boyfriend and mother, Lilian Silva.

DaSilva, when questioned by police, admitted to the slaying and noted that he decided at the last minute to target only his daughter so they “could both go to hell” together, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

DaSilva told police that he was angered and felt disrespected by his daughter because of her relationship with a 54-year-old man who, according to court documents, was married at the time of the affair. In messages that investigators found on the woman’s cell phone, DaSilva called his daughter as a “whore” and a “slut.”

“You thought I was going to accept your bitching and being a whore, you were wrong,” the message states. “Delicious is my Beretta.”

A 9 mm silver-plated Beretta that police say DaSilva admitted using in the shooting was later recovered by police hidden behind some insulation in the attic of his Town Hill Avenue apartment.

Sabrina DaSilva had traveled to Danbury in May to celebrate her father’s birthday, but the relationship began to sour in recent months. She had planned on visiting her father again around July 4 but had canceled the plans after an arguement they had over the phone on June 29.

Sabrina DaSilva was shot nine times at close range on July 3 when she had returned from a trip to the local Stop & Shop. DaSilva approached his daughter after she returned, court records state, and had a brief but heated conversation for less than two minutes before he grabbed his daughter’s arm and brandished a handgun. When the daughter tried to pull away, DaSilva began firing.

Later that evening, DaSilva had approached a “working girl,” according to court documents, and suggested they get together later that same night to smoke marijuana. The meeting, however, never happened.

DaSilva is being held on a $1 million bond and waived his right to an extradition hearing during a brief court appearance Monday.

Sabrina DaSila had a 2-year-old daughter at the time of the murder and was going to school with the dream of becoming an interpreter. Relatives on a Gofundme page describe Sabrina DaSilva as a warm and kind woman.

“She always said ‘do what you have to do and be happy,’” the web site states. “She strived to be the best she could be for her daughter.”

Court documents state DaSilva had been deported twice from the United States but was using an alias, Mateus Silva, in an attempt to elude immigration officials.

dperrefort@newstimes.com