A Portuguese court has sentenced one of the suspects for the murder of Brazilian Alison Rodriguez, 35, to 21 years in prison. An accomplice was sentenced to eight years in prison, and one of the people involved was acquitted.
Alison, a former paratrooper from Fortaleza but raised in Rio, was murdered inside his home in the quiet city of Grandora. His wife, Mayra Pertel, was saved because she announced her pregnancy.
— I feel that I have fulfilled my duty, I am relieved, and my soul is cleansed. It’s like a cycle has ended. I understand even if I don’t completely agree that one of them will be acquitted. I am very satisfied with the performance of the competent authorities, Meira said at the Portuguese Giro.
The killers entered the couple’s home in June 2023, armed and looking for another person, and shot Alison three times, killing her as she tried to protect Meira from being struck by a metal bar.
Meira and Alison are scheduled to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary in December 2023. Meira maintained the couple’s plans to live in Portugal in honor of Meira. Maria Alice was born in November 2023 and they are both still in the country.
— For now, my idea is to stay (in Portugal). There are still things that need to be resolved.
The trial began in the first week of October in Setubal and the verdict was handed down last Thursday. Meira’s lawyer, Alessandra Fantoni, said the maximum sentence in Portugal is 25 years.
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Two of the defendants could have been acquitted, but only one was released because he misspecified the location of the crime.
Fantoni said witnesses questioned at the trial received death threats. One of the men was visually impaired and had attended a party where an altercation occurred, which allegedly led to the murder.
The suspect managed to flee Portugal to another country after the crime, but was arrested during a separate police investigation.
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