Kathlen Romeu case: popular jury of police officers accused of death is rescheduled for December

The Court of Justice rescheduled the popular jury trial for the two police officers accused of the death of Kathlen Romeu, aged 24, in 2021, for December 1st.

Although it was initially scheduled for November 26, Judge Elizabeth Machado Louro argued that, as November is National Jury Month, she decided to reschedule the trial to prevent it from being postponed.

PMs Marcos Felipe da Silva Salviano and Rodrigo Correia de Frias will be taken to the Sentencing Council for qualified homicide.

In March, judge Elizabeth Machado Louro determined that the evidence in the case, presented by the MP and the Civil Police, was sufficient to take them to a popular jury.

Kathlen was killed with a rifle shot to the chest during a police operation in Complexo do Lins in 2021. She was visiting her grandmother when she was surprised by gunfire. Three months pregnant, the young woman succumbed to her injuries and died in hospital.

The PM's initial version said that there was a confrontation with criminals in the region. However, reports from residents and the work of the Public Prosecutor's Office indicated that there was no exchange of gunfire when Kathlen was shot.

Subsequent investigations showed that police officers collected ammunition capsules and changed elements of the incident scene, which led to the accusation of procedural fraud.

Since then, the victim's family members have demanded punishment for those involved and criticized the slow pace of the process.