Accused of killing Sergeant Roger Dias in BH is sentenced to 40 years in prison

Defendant Welbert de Souza Fagundes during trial at Forum Lafayette, in Belo Horizonte. — Photo: TJMG

Welbert de Souza Fagundes was sentenced to 40 years in prison, under a closed regime, for the death of Military Police sergeant Roger Dias da Cunha and for other crimes. The trial took place this Monday (9), at the Lafayette Forum, in Belo Horizonte.

According to the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG), the defendant was convicted in accordance with the complaint. He was charged with triple homicide, attempted homicide against another police officer and illegal possession of a firearm, according to the prosecution.

Roger Dias was hit in the head during a chase in the Northern Region of BH, in January 2024. He was rescued, but succumbed to his injuries.

The sentencing council was made up of six women and one man. The session began at 9:49 am, after the Court denied requests for postponement.

g1 contacted Welbert Fagundes' defense and is awaiting a response.

Defendant admits shooting, but denies intention to kill

During the interrogation, Welbert answered questions from the judge and the defense. According to the report released by TJMG, he admitted to having shot Roger Dias, but denied the intention to kill.

The defendant stated that he left home with his mother's car, a Fiat Uno, and met a friend, whose name he did not reveal. The two went to the Aarão Reis neighborhood and parked behind another vehicle.

According to Welbert, police officers showed up and started shooting. The friend, who was behind the wheel, accelerated and crashed the car while escaping.

The defendant said he had a gun in his hand at the time of the accident, but denied owning it. He stated that he would not identify the owner for fear of reprisals.

Still in the version presented by Welbert, he left the car and ran with the gun in his hand while hearing gunshots. During his escape, he found the vehicle in which Roger Dias was traveling. He claimed that the military shot, ordered him to stop and threatened to kill him.

Welbert said he was grazed in the leg, fell and ran again. He said he yelled “I lost” as the sergeant approached, but when he looked back, he saw the officer with the gun pointed in his face. According to him, the fear of dying led him to shoot.

The defendant also alleged that, after the shots, he ran to the front of a bar, dropped the gun and surrendered. He stated that another police officer got out of the police car and shot him in the leg at that moment.

How the crime occurred

According to the complaint from the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais (MPMG), Roger Dias and other military personnel were patrolling in the region of the Minaslândia neighborhood when they received information that suspects of vehicle theft were traveling armed along Avenida Risoleta Neves, towards Novo Aarão Reis.

The police located the car and ordered it to stop, but the driver, identified as Geovanni Faria de Carvalho, fled at high speed. During the chase, the vehicle hit a motorcycle and crashed into a pole.

Welbert and Geovanni left the car and continued their escape on foot. According to the complaint, Roger Dias and another soldier began to pursue Welbert.

At one point, the sergeant ordered him to lie down on the floor. According to the MPMG, Welbert pulled out a 38-caliber revolver that was hidden in his shorts and shot at Roger Dias, hitting the soldier in the head.

According to the accusation, Welbert fired again at another police officer, who was not hit. The soldier reacted, and the defendant ended up shot and arrested in the act.

Security cameras recorded the moment Roger Dias was hit. He was rescued and taken to Risoleta Neves Hospital, but he did not survive his injuries.

Family expectations

Before the result, lawyer Felipe Henrique, a member of the prosecution team, spoke about the expectations of the sergeant's family.

"No sentence, no matter how high, will bring Sergeant Roger Dias back. The family remains torn apart. The family waits, longs for earthly justice", he stated.