Man who contracted wife's murder in Viçosa (MG) arrested 21 years after the crime
A 46-year-old man convicted of hiring a hitman to kill his wife was arrested in Embu-Guaçu (SP), where he worked at a therapeutic community.
Fugitive since 2024, man convicted in wife's death captured in SP
A 46-year-old man was arrested on Thursday (15th) in Embu-Guaçu, in the interior of São Paulo, 21 years after arranging the murder of his own wife in the rural area of Viçosa, in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais. According to g1.globo.com, the convicted man had been a fugitive since October 2024, when a new arrest warrant was issued against him.
The crime occurred on 29 August 2005, in the Violeira neighbourhood, near the Viçosa exhibition grounds. According to the prosecution by the Minas Gerais Public Prosecutor's Office (MPMG), the man suspected infidelity and planned his partner's death in detail.
To carry out the murder, he paid R$ 5,000 to a third party and invited the victim for a bicycle ride in an isolated location. At the site, the executor approached the woman and fired four gunshots at her, simulating a robbery.
Convictions and appeals that delayed imprisonment
The husband was tried by a jury court in October 2011 and sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison, with the right to appeal whilst free. In June 2012, the Minas Gerais Court of Justice (TJMG) reduced the sentence to 14 years and six months in closed regime after an appeal from the defence. The defence also appealed to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ).
In March 2016, the Viçosa court ordered the issuance of an arrest warrant after the conviction was confirmed on appeal. The man was arrested three days later, but obtained a habeas corpus and was released on 29 March that year, on the condition that he remain free until the conclusion of the appeals.
In October 2024, the MPMG requested the imprisoned man's arrest again based on the understanding of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) regarding the immediate execution of jury court convictions, regardless of sentence length. With the new warrant issued, he was considered a fugitive.
Located at therapeutic community
The convicted man was found at a therapeutic community where he worked, in the centre of Embu-Guaçu. The arrest was carried out in an operation coordinated by the MPMG, through the Operational Support Centre for Public Security Defence (CAO-SEP), in support of the 3rd Public Prosecution Office of Viçosa, with participation from the military police of Minas Gerais and São Paulo.
After detention, the man was taken to the jail annex of the Police Station of Itapecerica da Serra (SP), where he awaits a custody hearing and subsequent transfer to a prison in Minas Gerais.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo