Man sentenced to 16 years in prison for death of lawyer in Goiás

Ronaldo Silvano Moreira, accused of shooting dead lawyer Cássio Bruno Barroso, aged 48, in Rio Verde, southwest of Goiás, was sentenced to 16 years and 7 months in prison, in addition to a fine, according to the sentence. According to the Civil Police, the crime was motivated by a legal dispute involving a farm valued at around R$100 million.

The trial took place on Thursday (1st). g1 was unable to contact Ronaldo Silvano's defense until the last update of this report.

The crime happened in October 2024, while the lawyer arrived at work. Two other people were also tried on suspicion of involvement in the crime, but were acquitted by the jury.

Ronaldo Silvano Moreira was found guilty during the popular jury for the crimes of homicide, criminal association, receiving and tampering with vehicles, according to the process. To compensate for the damages suffered by the victim's family, the defendant will also have to pay R$50,000.

Mário Sérgio Ferrari, suspected of having ordered Cássio's death, remained in prison and awaiting trial until the last update of this report, according to data from the Court of Justice of Goiás (TJ-GO).

g1 was also unable to contact his defense and the others accused of involvement in the crime until the last update of this report.

Motivation

According to the Public Ministry's complaint, Cássio Bruno and Mário Sérgio had a dispute involving a legal dispute over the farm. Civil Police investigations showed that the victim purchased the land, which had been illegally occupied by Mário since 2006.

At the time of the investigation, delegate Adelson Candeo explained that the victim filed a claim for repossession in 2018. The farm is located in Mato Grosso.

In addition to the murder of Cássio Bruno, the investigation revealed that the group, which included seven people who had been paid to commit the crime, planned an attack against another lawyer involved in the same legal action.

In the jury this Thursday (1st), three of the seven directly involved in the death were tried, with two being acquitted and one convicted. The other members of the group, in addition to the person accused of ordering the murder, are also awaiting trial.

Execution of the crime

Adelson said that the criminals studied Cássio's routine before committing the crime.

"The group used drones and vehicle trackers. At least eight people remained in the city of Rio Verde for a few days, alternating between them to monitor the victims' routine. They used several vehicles," he said.

The process also describes that Mário Sérgio Ferrari contacted another person involved in the murder, Cássio José Souza de Oliveira, through a messaging application, sending information about the victim in May 2023.

Cássio José also remained in prison until the last update of this report, according to data from TJ-GO.

On October 3, 2024, while talking on the cell phone, a security camera recorded the moment when a car stops, one of the accused gets out of the vehicle, goes to Cássio Bruno and shoots.

After the shots, those involved left the scene. According to the process, eight people were in the vehicle at the time of the crime, including Mário Sérgio Ferrari.

The Municipal Civil Guard (GCM) reported that agents tried to provide first aid to Cássio Bruno. The Mobile Emergency Service (Samu) was called, but the lawyer died at the scene.