Police Accuse Wife in Death of Boxing Champ Gatti

Brazilian authorities detained the wife of former boxing champion Arturo Gatti and formally accused her Sunday of killing him at a posh seaside tourist resort in Brazil.

In this July 14, 2007 file photo, Alfonso Gomez, right, of Whittier, Calif., ducks out of the way of...

In this July 14, 2007 file photo, Alfonso Gomez, right, of Whittier, Calif., ducks out of the way of a punch from Arturo Gatti during the fifth round of a boxing match in Atlantic City, N.J. Officials say Gatti has been found dead in a hotel room at the seaside resort of Porto de Galinhas in northeastern Brazil, July 11, 2009, where he arrived on Friday with his wife and one-year-old son. The spokesman said it was unclear how Gatti died. He was 37.

(Tim Larsen/AP Photo)

Police said 23-year-old Amanda Rodrigues was taken into custody after contradictions in her interrogation and presented a formal accusation against her. Prosecutors will later decide whether she will be charged.

Rodrigues, who denies any involvement in her husband's death, was the first to find the slain boxer's body early Saturday inside the vacation apartment they were renting at the Porto de Galinhas resort in northeastern Brazil, police said.

The former junior welterweight champion was apparently strangled with the strap of a purse, which was found at the scene with blood stains, said Milena Saraiva, a spokeswoman for the Pernambuco state civil police. She told The Associated Press that the Canadian also sustained a head injury.

Police said Rodrigues, a Brazilian, could not explain how she spent nearly 10 hours inside the residence without noticing that Gatti was already dead.

Rodrigues told police she had a fight with Gatti after dinner Friday night and he pushed her to the ground during the altercation, causing her to sustain minor injuries to her elbow and chin. She told authorities Gatti was drunk and that a third party likely committed the crime after he went to the apartment by himself.

Witnesses had reported to police that the couple fought and that Gatti was drunk.

Authorities were told the couple was extremely jealous of each other and that Gatti constantly complained about her clothing when she traveled to Brazil, Saraiva said.

Acelino "Popo" Freitas, a four-time world champion Brazilian boxer, told Globo TV's Web site on Saturday that he was a close friend of Gatti and his wife and that he "knew they were having some sort of problem and were about to separate."

They had planned to spend one month in Brazil on vacation.