Crime & Safety

Murder Victim's Friends Seek Support

Contributions for burial expenses are being collected for Neriton Amaral, stabbed to death in East Cobb Sunday.

His formal name was Neriton Amaral. But to his friends in East Cobb's burgeoning Brazilian community, he was simply known as "Timbete."

Now some of those friends are raising money to help pay for his burial expenses. 

Amaral was early Sunday in the parking lot of the restaurant on Powers Ferry Road. On Tuesday, he was remembered fondly at a memorial service at  in East Cobb. 

Find out what's happening in East Cobbwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"He was the nicest guy, always smiling, always hugging people," said Ana Daves, a friend of Amaral's. 

She said Amaral, who turned 28 on Oct. 7, fit in immediately upon settling in East Cobb six years ago, including playing on a soccer team with fellow Brazilians. She said he worked on construction jobs. 

Find out what's happening in East Cobbwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Fundraising cookouts have been scheduled for this weekend in East Cobb to help pay for, among other things, a casket and sending Amaral's body to his native Brazil.

Daves said his mother does not have many financial resources, and Amaral also leaves behind a 9-year-old daughter in Brazil. The Brazilian Consulate in Atlanta also is assisting, she said. 

His friends have set up a bank account for contributions, created a Portuguese-language Facebook page with more information about the fundraisers and compiled a video tribute.

Saturday's cookout is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at a residence at 516 Barnsdale Dr. in the Old Canton/Robinson Road area. On Sunday, the fundraiser will take place at Unit 708 of the Concepts 21 Apartments, 2600 Bentley Rd., starting at noon.

Daves said Bank of America is handling the Timbete Fund Account, with contributions to be directed to Christina Echols. The account number is 334028268282, and the routing number is 061000052.

On Tuesday, a state trooper in Newark, DE, , 32, of Marietta after pulling him over for speeding and discovering an outstanding warrant charging him with Amaral's murder. Rivera is being held on a $1 million bond pending his extradition to Cobb. 

said Amaral died of multiple stab wounds, but they have released few other details. Spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce said Wednesday that the investigation is continuing and that detectives assigned to the case are in Delaware. 

Daves said she was with a group of friends, incuding Amaral, at Los Bravos as it was closing shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday. She said the restaurant caters to the Brazilian community on Saturdays and that the suspect, whom she had seen before but didn't know, was a patron that night.  

She said an argument began between Amaral and Rivera, but she didn't witness the fatal incident. 

"I don't know how it started, and I didn't see anything," Daves said. "All I saw was (Amaral's) roommate holding him" after the stabbing.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from East Cobb