After a three-day trial, military police officer Enrique Veloso was found not guilty of the death of 33-year-old world jiu-jitsu champion Leandro Roo in Sao Paulo on Friday. The crime occurred on August 7, 2022, during a show inside Club Sirio in the South Zone of the capital city of Indianapolis. The prime minister shot the militant in the head, who was rescued but died in hospital.
- Leandro Ro: Three years later, a popular jury begins accusing the prime minister of murdering a world jiu-jitsu champion at a São Paulo club
After the incident, Veloso turned himself in to the Ministry of the Interior and has since been incarcerated at the Roman Gomez military prison. The jury accepted the police officer’s claim of self-defense. A release permit has already been issued and he is expected to leave prison within the next few days.
– Justice has prevailed and discretion has been taken away, said Claudio Daredon Jr., the prime minister’s lawyer.
Leandro’s mother, Fatima Ro, said she plans to appeal.
— There was no justice — he said, according to g1.
Prosecutor João Carlos Calzabala, who is in charge of the case, called the jury’s decision “complex with some invalidities” and said he believed the decision would be annulled.
In September 2022, the court accepted the Ministry of Public Affairs’ complaint against Enrique Veloso, who was responsible for the triple murder. The qualifiers awarded are:
• The use of cruel means (poison, fire, explosives, asphyxiation, torture, or other means that may represent a general danger).
• Betrayal or ambush.
The first directions hearing was held in May 2023. At that time, the prime minister’s first public hearing was held, and according to his lawyer, “the prime minister explained all the concerns that he had and that motivated his legal action.”
Adjournments and jury confusion
The trial was originally scheduled for May 2025, but the court postponed it, citing defense restrictions.
The case was rescheduled for August, but this time the jury was suspended again after a plenary discussion with prosecutors and attorneys.
It wasn’t until November that the case actually went to jury court.
The first day of the trial ended around 10pm on Wednesday the 12th, with the questioning of two prosecution witnesses. The prosecutor’s office expected a sentence of at least 20 years, taking into account three requirements.
In addition to the defendant himself, a total of nine witnesses from the prosecution and defense testified. The debate between parliamentarians, prosecutors and defense lawyers continued until Friday, with Veloso’s remarks heard in the plenary session.
At least four of the seven jurors (five women, two men) voted not guilty, enough to free the officers from conviction. The verdict was handed down by Judge Fernanda Giacomini of the First Jury Court.
In October of this year, a general court reversed an administrative decision by the São Paulo government that fired a police officer after the crime. As a result, Enrique Veloso was reintegrated into the gendarmerie and once again received a monthly salary of over 14,000 reais.
About The Author
