Court denies request for release of suspected involvement in the death of Beatriz Vitória in Greater BH

The decision is made by judge Guilherme de Azeredo Passos, rapporteur of the habeas corpus presented by Carla's defense. He denied the request but the case will still be analyzed by the Court.

Carla and Samuel Castro Melo are being investigated for femicide and hiding a corpse. Beatriz had been missing since October 9th and her body was found buried in a forested area in the Terra dos Portugueses subdivision, in the rural area of ​​Jaboticatubas.

According to the police report, Beatriz disappeared after leaving a bar in the Bosque dos Coqueiros neighborhood and getting into a car. Before, she told her friends that she would be back in a few minutes and, according to her sister, she showed nervousness after receiving a call. The young woman returned to the establishment and said she was scared because there was a woman she didn't know in the vehicle. Then she left again and was never seen again.

In habeas corpus, the defense claimed that the decision that converted Carla's arrest in the act into preventive arrest would not have presented, on an individual basis, elements that would justify keeping her in prison.

The defense also stated that the investigation is still ongoing and that there is not enough evidence to point to Carla as the author of the crime. The defense also stated that Carla is a primary defendant, has a fixed residence and a formal employment relationship and argued that alternative precautionary measures to prison would be sufficient.

Another point presented was the allegation that Carla had suffered physical and moral coercion during her police work, in an alleged attempt to obtain a confession.

When analyzing the request, the judge understood that, at this moment, there is no proof of an illegal constraint that justifies the immediate release of the person being investigated.

The judge asked for more information about the case and ordered the Public Prosecutor's Office to comment before making a final decision on the request for freedom.

In a statement, Carla's defense stated that it respects the court decision, but evaluates the grounds and possible legal measures, and reinforced that the investigation must be careful and impartial, with respect to due legal process, broad defense and the presumption of innocence.

In the information sent to the Court of Justice, judge Rodrigo Fernando Di Gioia Colosimo, from the Jaboticatubas Single Court, defended the grounds that led to the preventive detention of Carla and Samuel. According to the judge, the measure was based on guaranteeing public order, the convenience of the investigation and the application of criminal law.