Jury in Planaltina Convicts Five for DF Family Massacre With Sentences Topping 1,200 Years

Overview

• The panel, which returned verdicts Saturday night, reached its decision after more than 11 hours of deliberation at the end of a six-day trial where seven jurors heard 18 witnesses and reviewed about 500 questions.
• Four defendants received multi-century terms, including 397 years for Gideon Batista de Menezes, while Carlos Henrique Alves da Silva got two years in a semi-open regime for his support role at the captivity site.
• Judges recorded convictions for qualified homicide, kidnapping, extortion by kidnapping, robbery, concealing and destroying bodies, criminal association, procedural fraud, and corruption of a minor.
• Prosecutors said the crimes aimed to take over a rural property valued at about R$2 million, with the group abducting relatives in stages between late December 2022 and mid-January 2023 to eliminate heirs.
• Relatives of the 10 victims, including three young children, attended the sessions, and under Brazil’s jury system a citizen jury decides guilt while defense teams may appeal verdicts without any chance of immediate acquittal.