Brasilia, Apr 29 (IANS/EFE): A former Brazilian police officer was sentenced to 22 years behind bars for the murder of the lover of footballer Bruno Fernandes, who received a similar sentence for being the mastermind behind the killing, judicial officials said.

Marcos Aparecido dos Santos, known as "Bola", was found guilty of murdering Eliza Samudio, whose body has not yet been found.

With the support of testimony from friends of Bruno, prosecutors convinced the jurors that he hired Bola to kill the young woman, strangling her and then dismembering her body.

According to the police version assembled from several statements by different people, Samudio's body parts were thrown to four Rottweilers who devoured them "in a matter of minutes".

The murder was carried out in 2010, when Bruno was one of the most outstanding netminders in Brazilian soccer.

He was married already, but he met Samudio - a well-known pornographic film star - and began an affair with her. The pair had a son together but the romance ended, according to Bruno, when she demanded that he acknowledge the paternity of the baby and pay child support.

According to the accusation, the "pressure" exerted by Samudio spurred Bruno to plan to kill her.

A month-and-a-half ago, when he was found guilty, Bruno admitted that he knew of Samudio's death and that he had asked several friends to help him "solve the problem" he had been having with her, but he denied ever ordering or planning her murder.

Fernandes had played for Flamengo since 2006 and the team won the Rio de Janeiro state soccer league championship in 2011.