Nova Friburgo completes one year without records of feminicide

Nova Friburgo completed 1 year without records of femicide on October 30th. The milestone reinforces the importance of complaints and Deam's preventive work.

In June 2026, Ricardo Pinheiro Jucá Vasconcelos received the first conviction for feminicide in the municipality. The sentence was 70 years, 6 months and 15 days.

The crime occurred in August 2021, in the Cônego neighborhood, victimizing 3 family members and 1 baby. The municipality also recorded 0 cases in 2020.

Nova Friburgo, in the Serrana region of Rio, completed a year without records of feminicide. The milestone was reached on October 30th, the date on which the most recent case of this type of crime in the municipality was also recorded, in 2025.

According to the Women's Assistance Police Station (Deam), the result reinforces the importance of continuous work to prevent and combat violence against women.

Delegate Mariana Thomé highlighted that reporting is essential to interrupt situations of violence before they evolve into more serious cases.

“More than a milestone, this result reveals that lives were preserved and reinforces the importance of reporting, the first sign of violence,” he stated.

The delegate also highlighted the importance of women seeking help when identifying the first signs of violence.

Specialized care allows victims to receive guidance, have their incidents recorded and to seek protective measures, especially when there is a risk of worsening attacks.

DEAM's work also involves providing guidance to women, identifying risk situations and liaising with the protection network, as well as raising awareness to combat gender-based violence.

First conviction for feminicide in the city’s history

In addition to the milestone of a year without new records, 2026 also entered the history of Nova Friburgo for another reason related to combating violence against women.

In June of this year, the Jury Court sentenced Ricardo Pinheiro Jucá Vasconcelos to 70 years, 6 months and 15 days in prison for the murders of his wife, Nahaty Gomes de Mello, his in-laws, Rosemary Gomes de Mello and Wellington Braga Mello, and for the death of baby Zoe, whom Nahaty had been carrying for six months.

The crime took place in August 2021, in the Cônego neighborhood. During the trial, which lasted around 30 hours, the jurors recognized two femicides, for the deaths of Nahaty and Rosemary, in addition to qualified homicide for Wellington's death and an abortion caused by a third party.

According to information released by the local press, this was the first conviction for feminicide recorded in the history of the municipality. The decision represented a historic judicial outcome for a case that had been awaiting trial for almost five years.

History

In 2020, Nova Friburgo also had no records of femicide. In 2025, the municipality again recorded an incident of this type, on October 30th.