Overview
- The jury convicted Matheus Anthony Lima Martins Queiroz of feminicide and the judge sentenced him to 31 years and 3 months in prison following a two-day trial on Tuesday.
- Matheus confessed in court saying he "lost control" during a dispute, and the judge reduced the penalty slightly by applying an attenuating factor for a spontaneous confession.
- Forensic testimony described an extremely violent killing with multiple stab wounds and signs of beating and torture, with the number of wounds disputed in court between 34 and 38.
- Defense witnesses, including the defendant’s mother and brother, described a long history of depression, anxiety and psychological treatment that the defense says should mitigate sentence while the public defender filed an appeal.
- The court denied Matheus the right to await appeals in freedom and ordered R$40,500 in reparations, and the prosecutor’s office said it will appeal seeking a higher penalty which highlights Brazil’s use of the feminicide charge to address gender-based intimate partner killings.