This Thursday (25), Justice denied the arrest request of Elson Dias Gonçalves, 31 years old, made by the Public Ministry. He is confessed author of the stab wounds that killed Felipe De Moraes Rita, 38, in the early hours of April 24 this year. The report had access to the video of the moment the crime happened.
Family and friends were outraged by the denial of arrest and the allegation that the author was in self-defence, as the crime would have been very brutal.
ATTENTION, THE IMAGES ARE STRONG.
Felipe Rita’s brother, Wiliam Moraes, manifested himself in a note rejecting the result of the arrest warrant.
“Today’s afternoon, the Justice of Santa Maria rejected the arrest request, made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office on the understanding that the crime does not meet the requirements for the preventive detention of Elson Gonçalves Dias. After this decision, the author of the crime published a video on the networks claiming that the Justice said he could answer freely and continues to claim that he acted in self-defense. As a result, the family that hired a law firm to act as an assistant to the prosecution, together with the prosecution, decided to publicize the crime in order to that the truth about the facts be clarified and that people, after watching, draw their own conclusions”, says the note.
The case was investigated by the Homicide and Person Protection Police Station (DPHPP). Gonçalves was indicted for doubly qualified homicide, with the aggravating factors of futile motive and difficulty in defending the victim. Deputy Marcelo Mendes Arigony did not request the arrest of the investigated person, as he believes there was no reason for the preventive measure.
— We concluded the inquiry indicting him for aggravated homicide, but without prosecuting him for preventive detention. The fact is very serious, but we need to comply with due legal process. Pretrial detention requirements were not met. Even if there was a request for arrest, the judiciary would not order it – says Arigony.
Lawyer Christiano Pretto, who works in Gonçalves’ defense, was approached by the report, but declined to comment. From the first contact with defense, the lawyer claims to work with the thesis that the client acted in self-defense to protect himself and to protect the victim’s ex-partner.
“We only manifest ourselves in the process,” said Pretto.
The crime
Felipe De Moraes Rita was killed with at least eight knife wounds around 2:30 am on April 24, at his former partner’s house. They had ended the relationship about 20 days ago, but according to family members, they were still in contact. Elson Dias Gonçalves was at her house when Felipe arrived at the scene and the two got into a physical fight.
Felipe was killed in the courtyard of the house. After the crime, Gonçalves fled and reported to the police the next day. The Military Brigade was called, isolated the place and called the Civil Police.
