Duo accused of killing a man and using the victim's skull in rituals is sentenced by the courts in Ceará

In 2018, police found four bodies buried in a site used in magic rituals in the rural area of ​​Iguatu, in the interior of Ceará. — Photo: Civil Police/ Disclosure

The case is part of the series of murders that became known as the “Sítio Canto Crimes”, which occurred in the rural area of the city of Ceará between 2017 and 2018, which killed around four people.

According to the Public Ministry's complaint, Francisco de Assis de Lima, known as Vilmar, went for a walk on the night of December 1, 2017 and was shot dead. After the murder, the man's body was hidden in a forested area and, later, the skull would have been used in rituals.

During the trial, the Jury Court recognized that the murder was committed for a base reason and with a resource that made it difficult for the victim to defend himself. Roberto and Desiree were also convicted of the crimes of hiding a corpse, vilifying a corpse and corrupting minors.

Desiree received a sentence of 17 years and 11 months in prison. Roberto, on the other hand, was sentenced to 25 years, 11 months and 15 days in prison.

The murders committed by Desiree and Roberto were discovered by the police during the investigation into the death of university student Jheyderson de Oliveira Chavier, aged 24, which occurred in May 2018.

The young man had skipped class and told his friends that he was going to meet a saint known as Desiree. A security camera recorded the moment the student walked through the streets of Iguatu accompanied by the religious leader, who denied in his statement to the police that he had found the boy.

During searches at the place where Desiree performed religious practices, the police found Jheyderson's body buried in a shallow grave, with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. As the search continued at the site, three other bodies of people who were missing in the city were located.

Investigations showed that the victims, who had some disaffection with Desiree, were lured to the farm and killed on the spot with the help of Roberto. A teenager who was also suspected of participating in the homicides took his own life days after police located the bodies.