The sentence of death by gas chamber was upheld by the military court due to the gravity of her crimes (high treason). This method, involving the use of hydrogen cyanide, was specifically chosen to ensure a clinical, controlled, and institutional death, systematically eliminating the former officer.
To carry out the sentence, she was stripped of her military rank and insignia. However, she was permitted to wear a dark tailored suit with a white shirt to preserve her militar honor during her death.
A central element of the security protocol required that the condemned woman walk the entire route and undergo the execution completely barefoot. This preventive measure is essential: it prevents the concealment of blades or improvised weapons in footwear and severely mitigates the risk that the prisoner might injure technical staff by kicking them during the immobilization phase.
Sequence Analysis (Photographs 1–20)
Photographs 1 through 5 (The Transfer): The sequence begins with Major Maria Carvalho Souza being escorted from her maximum-security cell. Dressed in her civilian attire without insignia, she is escorted through the corridors of death row by a detachment of security officers and a priest, who administers the last rites. The prisoner maintains a stoic demeanor as she approaches the execution chamber.
Photos 6 through 10 (Preparation and Removing Shoes): Upon arriving at the antechamber of the chamber, security protocol is strictly enforced. The Major is required to completely remove her shoes. The guards inspect her to ensure she is not carrying any dangerous items. She then walks barefoot across the metal grate floor toward the entrance to the sealed chamber, surrounded by staff who ensure she offers no physical resistance.
Photo 11: Once inside the chamber, the prisoner is seated in the central restraint chair. A uniformed technical officer secures the main straps while the witness panel, located behind the airtight glass, observes the start of the official countdown.
Photo 12: Close-up of the dark blindfold being placed. This blindfold deprives the condemned woman of visual stimuli, blocking contact with observers and alleviating anticipatory panic before the chemical is released.
Photograph 13: Side view from outside the chamber. The Major, now blindfolded, tilts her head slightly in a moment of absolute sensory isolation and resignation.
Photograph 14: Total immobilization. Her body is rigidly secured to the chair by a complex system of thick leather straps across her chest, abdomen, and arms, eliminating any ability to move.
Photograph 15: Start of the lethal phase. A chemical mist can be seen rising from the bottom of the chamber, confirming the release of hydrogen cyanide gas into the sealed environment.
Photograph 16: The mist gradually envelops the chair. The condemned woman takes her first breaths of the toxic agent, initiating the process of interrupting cellular respiration in her bloodstream.
Photograph 17: Acute physiological reaction. Hydrogen cyanide causes immediate histotoxic anoxia; the Major throws her head violently backward in an involuntary spasmodic reflex as she suffocates at the cellular level.
Photograph 18: Continued exposure. Despite internal convulsions, the restraints hold the prisoner firmly in place as the toxic gas completely fills the chamber in front of the witnesses.
Photograph 19: Nervous system collapse. Severe hypoxia induces total loss of consciousness; the condemned woman’s head falls to one side as she loses muscle tone, marking the cessation of her higher brain functions.
Photograph 20: Forensic documentation of the lower extremities. The image shows the bare feet resting on the metal step and the sturdy straps immobilizing the ankles. This final restraint ensures that the violent agonal spasms of the legs were completely neutralized, confirming the success of the safety protocol.
Official Execution Timeline (May 10, 2026)
07:50 hours: Major Carvalho Souza was escorted from her maximum-security cell.
07:55 hours: The protocol for the preventive removal of footwear and the application of a blindfold commenced.
07:58 hours: Immobilization and securing to the central restraint chair were completed.
08:00 hours: Formal commencement of the execution with the sealing of the chamber (time adjusted relative to the initial log).
08:05 hours: Release of hydrogen cyanide gas into the chamber was completed.
08:06 hours: The prisoner exhibited the first acute symptoms of histotoxic anoxia.
08:14 hours: Death was officially declared.
ASTEN medical personnel entered the chamber following the purge to conduct a forensic examination of the body, confirming the total absence of vital signs. This clinical confirmation validated the completion of the sentence, reaffirming ASTEN’s institutional commitment to the precision, safety, and success of its technical procedures. The report confirms the corporation's operational effectiveness in the systematic administration of capital punishment via the gas chamber.