After postponement, Ribeirão Preto Court holds jury for accused of killing football player with 10 shots

The Justice of Ribeirão Preto (SP) scheduled for this Tuesday (10) the popular jury of Kleber Archangelo dos Santos, fugitive and accused of killing football player Felipe Diogo with ten shots, in October 2023.

The jury trial had been scheduled for August, but ended up being postponed due to the absence of a witness. The session is scheduled to start at 10am at the Ribeirão Preto Forum.

The expectation is that five witnesses for the defense and five for the prosecution will be heard. The defendant's participation was not confirmed.

Santos, who must be taken to the jury, according to his defense, is responsible for qualified homicide for futile reasons, cruel means and a resource that made the victim's defense difficult.

The defendant is the uncle of Felipe's ex-girlfriend and shot the victim during a disturbance involving the young woman's family and the athlete, according to the Public Ministry. He was ordered into preventive detention in November 2023, but was never arrested.

Santos' defense lawyer, Daniel Rondi said that the defendant has the right not to participate in the trial.

He stated that his client received threats and decided not to come forward even with the arrest warrant outstanding. He argues that the defendant killed the player to defend his niece.

"The defense will bring these arguments, will demonstrate that at that moment the means was the necessary means to prevent another death from happening, the death of a woman who could have been a victim of femicide that same day."

Felipe Diogo, known as Felipe Favela, was shot dead in Ribeirão Preto (SP) in October 2023.

The football player, known as Felipe Favela, was 21 years old and was a striker for São Bernardo, but was on vacation with his family in Ribeirão Preto, where he was shot at least ten times on October 31, 2023.

According to prosecutor Marcos Túlio Nicolino, of the total number of shots fired, five were in the back.

Felipe was rescued by residents and taken to the North Emergency Care Unit (UPA), but he did not resist.

On the day he died, Felipe had gone to the house where he lived with his ex, on Rua Tabatinga, in Jardim Jandaia, North Zone of the city.

At the time, the young woman's family claimed that she had filed a police report against Felipe for assault. During the investigation, the Public Ministry did not identify any ongoing investigation or complaint against the player.

According to the player's mother, on the day of the murder, her son called around 7pm asking her to come to his house.

Upon arriving at the scene, she said she saw Kleber Santos at the window of the property, armed with a revolver. She says she asked her ex-daughter-in-law's family to explain what was happening. According to the witness, despite requests, Santos then shot.