Following the brutal death of Brazilian soccer star Daniel Correa Freitas, the suspect in his killing is speaking out in his own defense.

According to Edison Brittes Jr., he found the 24-year-old athlete on top of his wife, Cristiana Brittes, during a birthday party for his daughter, Allana Brittes, as reported by the New York Post.

In a statement to Brazilian media, he said that Freitas “had gone in, taken his clothes off and locked the door.”

Brittes said that after failing to get an answer when he knocked on the door, he forced his way in to find his wife screaming for help from underneath Freitas.

“What I did was what any man would do, because the woman that was there was not my wife, she was every woman in Brazil,” he said. “It could be your daughter, sister, mother or wife. At that moment it was my wife, Cris, who I have been married to for 20 years.”

He went on to criticize news reports of the case, saying that the “media said a lot of things” and denying that his wife had “anything with Daniel, never mind my daughter.”

All three relatives have been arrested as part of an investigation into Freitas’ death.

Edison Brittes urged those who saw his interview to ignore rumors and predicted that “the truth will come out” as the ongoing investigation progresses.

“When I threw him off my wife, I threw him on the floor and stopped her being raped by that monstrous scumbag,” he said.

Some of his friends said they attempted to prevent the attack, but could not stop the angry man.

Reports also indicate that Freitas allegedly sent sent messages to friends just before his death, including an image of himself with what appeared to be an unconscious Cristiana Brittes and a sexually explicit text about the “birthday girl’s mum.”

[Featured image: Edison Brittes, video screenshot]