By Shirley Farmer 
Although she never witnessed any physical assault, Cassia Gomez saw the abusive behavior that the “Count” had toward the woman. The Brazilian told Vidas everything.
On Tuesday (7), the socialite was arrested by the Domestic Violence Investigation Unit of the Republican National Guard and spent the night at the Alcabidice station. The next day, José Castelo Branco was heard in the court of Sintra and denied all the accusations. The plane king will remain in custody until Betty Grafstein's witnesses are heard. Only then should coercive measures be known.
Accusing a maid
José Castillo Branco and Betty Grafstein have been married since 1996. Almost 30 years later, the first accusations of domestic violence surfaced. However, these attacks will not happen again.
Cassia Gomez, along with other Brazilians, worked as a maid at Sintra Palace for a year, in 1999. During this period she witnessed some violent behavior on the part of the socialite. She preferred to remain silent because she was afraid that no one would believe her. So far…
Cassia Gomez told “Vidas” that Betty Grafstein was always in her room, isolated. “José Castillo Branco did not allow Betty to contact the staff except at mealtimes. He spent the day in his room and only came down for brief moments to eat. Betty was always very afraid of him,” the report began.
Cassia Gomez revealed: “I heard a lot of screaming coming from the room. I never saw him hit her, but I know he did. I saw purple marks all over Betty's body. She covered the marks on her face with her sunglasses.” “The White Castle is smart,” he added.
Betty Grafstein was not the only victim of the Count. Cassia Gomez herself says that she suffered at his hands, although she does not talk about physical violence. “He fired me without any reason or anything. I couldn't file a complaint, because I was illegal in the country,” he noted, adding that José Castelo Branco also owed him money. “I was left at Sintra station, at 10 o'clock at night, without knowing what to do,” he said.
I'm worried
News of the domestic violence has shocked everyone and everything, including José Castelo Branco's son. Guilherme Castelo Branco is “in disbelief and shock” at the accusations and his father's arrest. One of the young man's fears is how his two-year-old daughter Constance – the result of his relationship with Elsa Abreu – will deal with this whole situation in the future.
It must be remembered that Guilherme and José Castelo Branco did not always have a close relationship. Recently, the socialite's son admitted that he was estranged from his father for a while, but now they are very close. In fact, the jet-set king has traveled from the US to Portugal several times to be with his son and granddaughter. Vidas also knows that Guilherme and his father have been in contact since his arrest.
Guilherme Castelo Branco Vieira is the result of the “Count”'s first marriage, which took place in 1986, to María Arlene Ferreira Polvora. The birth of their son would come two years later.
Sintra Palace
The House of Sintra has always been a controversial topic, but now it has become even more controversial. According to Adriano Silva Martins, it is Guilherme Castelo Branco who will take over the management of Ms. Betty's mansion. “The house belongs to Betty Grafstein, but she made a will about 15 years ago that has not been changed. This is a very important thing for people to know: 15 years ago, Betty Grafstein made a will in Portugal in which she left the house to her to live in.” “Guilherme Castelo Branco, son of José Castelo Branco,” said the “Starry Night” commentator, from cmtv, Explaining that the will was made in Guilherme's name for two reasons: “Because she considers Guilherme her son. Guilherme has a mother, we all know, but Betty has seen him grow up and has great affection for him. The second reason is what he has to do with the debts that José Castelo Branco owes to the Portuguese tax authorities.”
This way, being in the son's name, there would be no risk of the house being confiscated due to the Count's debts. Adriano Silva Martins confirmed that “the will, which was written 15 years ago and has not been changed, is in the name of Guilherme Castelo Branco.”
However, at the moment, the palace is rented to Pedro Pico, a former contestant of TVI's Big Brother Famosos, with whom José Castelo Branco has been involved in several controversies. The social worker had previously made several attempts to evict the tenant from the property, accusing him of not paying the rent, but to no avail.
In light of the accusations, Pedro Pico identified himself to confirm that he had a valid 10-year lease and that he had “all evidence of the transfer of the rent paid.” “I paid 35 rents worth 2,200 euros per month, and I only got one receipt,” he said, adding that the property “is mortgaged for 700,000 euros.”
Pedro Pico also invested in the works of the palace, which currently operates as a local residence, Sintra Wau, where the cost per night is around 1,627 euros.
Sleeping on cement and eating Russian salad
José Castelo Branco spent the night from Tuesday to Wednesday at the Alcabideche GNR. According to CMTV, the Portuguese socialite slept on a cement bed with disposable sheets. As for dinner, the state provides all detainees in police facilities with a meal worth a maximum of 4.50 euros, and Conde was no exception. José Castelo Branco ate Russian salad.