Berliner Tageblatt - João Franco’s earlier post draws attention after arrest over fatal Turkey brawl

Former "Below Deck" star João Franco posted a cryptic message about taking some time away from social media to "realign" his "moral compass" just three weeks before he was arrested in Turkey for his apparent involvement in a deadly brawl. João and his brother, Karlos Franco, were taken into custody after getting into a physical altercation in the Bodrum district of Muğla on Saturday night that left a 17-year-old dead. Footage of the incident suggests that it began as a verbal argument.

Neither João nor his brother have issued a statement about their arrest — however, less than a month before the disturbing incident, the former Bravo star shared a long, emotional message about changes he wanted to make in his life, noting that he wanted to be "remembered" for the impact he had on others. "I’ll be taking some time to reassess my values, realign my moral compass and remind myself of the person I want to be…" his message, which was accompanied by a selfie taken on a boat, began.

"Less ego. More humility. Less reaction. More understanding. Less judgment. More compassion," he continued. "At the end of the day, I don’t want to be remembered only for what I’ve achieved, but for how I’ve treated people along the way. #mondaymood," João concluded.

He accompanied the caption with a photo of himself on a boat, smiling in front of a sunset. João starred on multiple seasons of Bravo’s "Below Deck" franchises, including "Below Deck Mediterranean."

His most recent appearance on the show was on Season 4 of "Below Deck Down Under," which premiered in February, and during which he worked as a Bosun. However, beyond his professional obligations on the boat, the show also documented João’s personal struggles, particularly his issues with alcohol.

While on Season 4 of "Below Deck Med," he confessed that he had a drunk alter-ego named "Jezabob," who often got him into trouble. "I got into a lot of trouble, but I just didn’t realize the extent of it," he said during an episode of the "Below Deck Med" After Show on Bravo. "I’d always think, I couldn’t have been that bad because I don’t remember it," he added.

In 2020, he shared that he had given up drinking, according to reports. In an Instagram post at the time, he said "alcohol is THE ONLY thing that makes me lose faith in myself and question my actions."

João, who was born in Zimbabwe but relocated to Europe to pursue a career in yachting, has most recently been working as a superyacht captain, according to his social media account. At the start of October, he shared a photo of himself and his brother in Bodrum, Turkey, writing in the caption that they were "keeping each other out of trouble."

The reason for their argument with the employees at the clothing store where the fight broke out is not known, however security footage records the confrontation. Available CCTV footage of the incident appears to show Karlos — who is wearing a dark T-shirt, shorts and a baseball cap — throwing the first punch.

João, who was seen wearing a white-striped collared shirt, shorts and a baseball cap, appears to step in to try to break up the fight. The employee then appeared to lunge back at the pair and swing his fist, while multiple other employees came out of the shop to step in.

However, a fight quickly ensued. The group of men were seen kicking and punching each other. João appeared to attempt to break up the fight multiple times. He seemed to swing his fist, after which one man fell to the ground and lay motionless. Local media reported that it was a 17-year-old store staffer who fell and hit his head on a few stairs.

Local reports said that the teen sustained a severe head injury and suffered cardiac arrest but was revived by emergency medical responders before being transported to Muğla Training. He reached Research Hospital in critical condition. Local reports said on Monday that the 17-year-old had passed away after succumbing to his injuries.

João and his brother were taken to the Bodrum Courthouse and are now in prison. A source said that the two are "awaiting the next steps."

S.Keller--BTB