Autopsy report rules out suicide in death of PM Gisele Santana and points to murder in São Paulo
Forensic examination by the São Paulo Institute of Criminalistics concluded that soldier Gisele was murdered. Lieutenant Colonel Geraldo Neto is a defendant for femicide.
Forensic examination points to second-party involvement in death of PM Gisele in São Paulo
A supplementary forensic report from the São Paulo Institute of Criminalistics, signed last Tuesday (1st), officially ruled out the suicide hypothesis in the death of Military Police soldier Gisele Alves Santana. According to agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br, the document concludes that there was intervention by a second party in the death of the soldier.
"The evaluation of the set of blood stain patterns and other objective elements identified at the scene contradict the hypothesis of a suicide event," states the report.
The forensic document further states that "the hypothesis of second-party intervention withstood scrutiny against the totality of the objective elements examined, with no material element having been identified that contradicted it."
Defendant detained since March
Lieutenant Colonel Geraldo Leite Rosa Neto, who was Gisele's partner at the time, stands accused of femicide. Gisele was found with a gunshot wound to the head on 18 February, in the apartment where the couple lived in São Paulo. Geraldo Neto, who was at the location, called for emergency assistance and reported the case as suicide to the authorities. The classification was later changed to suspicious death.
The defendant was arrested on 18 March, one month after the crime, in the city of São José dos Campos (SP), and remains detained at the Romão Gomes Military Prison in the São Paulo capital.
Victim's family lawyer: result was expected
The lawyer for the victim's family, José Miguel Silva Junior, stated that the conclusion comes as no surprise. "From the outset, we have always worked with this angle [of femicide]. The other reports also make clear that Gisele did not commit suicide. And the forensic expert, when heard, made it clear, in person, that Gisele would not have been in a condition to commit suicide," declared Silva Junior.
The lawyer informed that a new hearing will take place next Tuesday (8th), when the defendant is to be interrogated. Silva Junior further emphasised that the accused's denial "stands isolated in the case file," given the body of evidence gathered.
Injuries and inconsistencies at the scene
Autopsy reports from the Legal Medical Institute (IML), drawn up at the beginning of the investigation, already recorded blunt force injuries to Gisele's face and neck region — described as resulting from digital pressure and abrasion consistent with nail marks, that is, caused by fingernails.
A neighbouring witness stated in testimony that she heard a gunshot at 7:28 a.m. on the day of death. The emergency call to the Copom, made by Geraldo Neto, was only placed at 7:57 a.m. — almost half an hour later.
The family's lawyer also mentioned a photograph taken by emergency responders showing the victim with the weapon in her hand, a situation described as unusual in cases of suicide. Furthermore, three female police officers went to the couple's apartment to carry out a cleaning hours after the incident, a fact already confirmed in their statements.
Gisele's family contested the suicide version from the outset of the investigation.
Source: Google News BR — Crime