Justice orders the release of Uncle Paulo’s niece, but makes her a defendant for attempted embezzlement and vilification of a corpse | Rio de Janeiro

Woman takes dead man in wheelchair to get R$17,000 loan

RJ Justice ordered to release Erika Souzathe niece of Uncle Paulothe elderly man was taken dead to get a loan from a bank, but the woman will continue to answer for crimes in attempted fraud It is corpse vilification. The niece had been in prison since the 16th.

In a decision this Thursday (2), judge Luciana Mocco, head of the 2nd Criminal Court of Bangu, received the complaint from the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ), what made Erika defendant. The judge, however, responded to a request from the niece’s defense and revoked preventive detention. Thus, Érika will respond to the process in freedom.

The niece also began to be investigated, in another investigation, for manslaughter – when there is no intention to kill. But this process is ongoing at the Civil Police, which will still decide whether to indict Érika for this crime.

The judge ordered Érika to comply with the following precautionary measures — otherwise, the woman could return to jail:

1. Monthly attendance at the court registry, to inform and justify your activities or possible change of address. In this case, the new address must be informed before moving, under penalty of new arrest;
2. If there is a need for hospitalization for mental health treatment, a medical report must be presented;
3. Prohibition of be absent from the District for a period of more than 7 daysexcept with express authorization from the court.

In justifying her release, Luciana said that Érika is “primary accused, with a fixed residence, and is not, in principle, dangerous enough to harm the criminal investigation or put public order at risk”.

“I understand that speculation [da grande repercussão do caso em rede nacional e internacional] do not find support in the evidence in the case to justify the exceptional measure of imprisonment, highlighting, as appropriate, that public outcry is not a requirement provided for by law for decreeing or maintaining imprisonment”, he highlighted.

“THE COMPLAINED, consciously and voluntarily, he vilified the corpse of Paulo Roberto Bragahis uncle and for whom he was the caregiver, by taking him to the aforementioned bank branch and remaining there, even after his death, for the purpose of withdrawing the aforementioned payment order, thus demonstrating total contempt and disrespect towards the same”, says an excerpt from the document.

In addition to the complaint, the MPRJ expressed its opposition to a request from Érika’s defense for provisional release.

At the conclusion of the report sent to the MPRJ, the delegate investigating the case says make sure that Érika knew that Paulo Roberto Braga was already dead inside the bank.

“There is no doubt that Érika knew about Paulo’s death, but, as It was the last chance to get the money out of the loan.entered the bank with the corpse, simulated for several minutes that he was alive, even pretending to give watertook the pen and held it with his hand next to the hand of Paulo’s corpse, however, as the bank employees did not disperse their attention, he was unable to sign”, wrote Fabio Luiz Souza, from the 34th DP (Bangu).

The investigation for manslaughter takes place due to a serious “failure to provide assistance”.

“Considering that on 4/16/2024, certainly realizing that Paul was in life-threatening situationwhich can be glimpsed by the statements of all witnesses who had contact with the victim, Instead of going to the hospital again, she went to the mallconfiguring a glaring omission of help, I determine; a new incident must be registered to investigate the crime of culpable homicide”, wrote the delegate in his order, obtained by TV Globo.

On April 16, Érika took her uncle, in a wheelchair and completely immobile with his eyes closed, to try to get a loan from a bank in Bangu, in the West Zone of Rio.

A video taken by bank attendants shows that Érika was constantly trying to hold the man’s head up, using her hand, and talking to the supposed relative – who, of course, didn’t respond.

“Uncle, are you listening? You need to sign. If you don’t sign it, there’s no way. I can’t sign for you, I’ll do what I can do”, says the woman.

She shows the document and states that he had to sign it the way it was there and says: “You hold your chair very strong there. Didn’t he hold the door there just now?”, she asks the attendants, who say they didn’t see it.

“Sign so you don’t give me any more headaches, I can’t take it anymore”, he adds.

The police chief cited new evidence to include the crime of homicide. According to him, two statements reveal that Érika tried to set up her own account to receive the money from her uncle and that she even went to the agency without him to withdraw it – even though she knew he would need to sign it.

Only after trying to go alone, in vain, did Érika decide to take her uncle to the agency.

At the conclusion of the investigation report, the delegate says that, from the images it is “clear” that Paulo “was already a corpse when Érika took him to the agency and, above all, that she knew this fact, as he has his head down and without any movement, however, just before entering she holds him by the neck so that he has his head up, simulating a living person“.

“Inside the agency, she continues with this simulation while waiting for assistance, as she remains holding her neck and when she lets go, her head “falls” backwards, which is impossible to happen to a living person, so she holds it again and pretends to be talking. com, but she lets go of her neck once again and her head falls again, holding her back”, describes the deputy.

There is no conclusion about the moment in which Paulo died because the report is inconclusive. For the delegate, “if in fact Paulo arrived at the shopping mall alive, his death was soon after, as in images from the establishment itself it is possible to see his head falling back with his mouth open, just like on the journey to the bank, everything witnessed by witnesses who were at the scene and had visual contact with Paulo, who was always motionless, with his head hanging down, an image identical to the one seen inside the bank”.

The delegate concludes: “there is no doubt that Érika knew about Paulo’s death, but, as it was her last chance to withdraw the money from the loan, she brought the corpse into the bank, simulated for several minutes that he was alive, even pretending to give water, took the pen and held it with his hand next to the hand of Paulo’s corpse, however, as the bank employees did not divert their attention, he was unable to sign”, he wrote.