The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) will judge the qualification of a bad motive in the murder of João Alberto Silveira Freitas, killed in November 2020.
The man was beaten to death by security guards at the Carrefour supermarket in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.
Last July, the Rio Grande do Sul Court had removed the qualification of “bad motive” from the murder sentence.
The qualifier means a reason despicable and disgusting in crime and increases the seriousness of the crime. According to the Penal Codethe penalty for qualified homicide is 12 to 30 years in prison.
The Public Ministry of RS had filed two appeals with the TJRS against the decision to remove the qualifier. The appeals were accepted last Friday (25).
Upon admission by the Rio Grande do Sul Court, the appeals will be judged by the STJ.
The MPRS’ initial accusation already addressed the “vile reason” related to the condition of economic vulnerability and the fact that the victim was a black man. João Alberto was beaten to death by supermarket security guards on November 19, 2020.
The coordinator of the Ministry’s Appeals Office, Luiz Inácio Vigil Neto, states that the body will continue working to ensure that the qualification is reestablished.
“The Public Prosecutor’s Office, from the beginning, had several convictions, and one of them is that the facts contained some motivation in relation to the victim’s situation of economic vulnerability and racial prejudice. This constitutes a bad reason, in terms of law. This was part of the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s initial piece, the accusatory piece, which is the so-called complaint”, he highlighted.
Remember the case
João Alberto Silveira Freitas was beaten to death by security guards at the Carrefour supermarket, on the night of November 19, 2020.
According to the MPRS report, while shopping inside the market, the victim was chased by three security guards.
After a provocation, a physical confrontation began between them. Then, three more members of the security team joined the other members in the criminal action.
The expert report concluded that José Alberto died due to a “chest compression that caused asphyxiation due to indirect suffocation”.
Changes in the company
Since the incident, Carrefour has promoted internal changes and publicly committed to the social inclusion of black people and the fight against discrimination.
The security of the brand’s stores is now managed by the company itself, and no longer by outsourced companies, as in the case in question.
According to the retail group, security guards and other employees began receiving racial literacy training.
By 2026, Carrefour intends to reach the target of 40% of leadership positions held by black people.
This content was originally published in STJ will judge “foul motive” in the murder of a black man in a market in RS on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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