Public servant is sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering a psychologist in the interior of RN

João Batista de Carvalho Neto was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of psychologist Fabiana Maia Veras. The trial took place in the district of Assú.

The trial lasted around 14 hours, taking place between Wednesday (11) and Thursday (12). The session was chaired by judge Lucas de Medeiros Lima.

The crime occurred on April 23, 2024, in the Vertentes neighborhood. Fabiana was found gagged and with marks of stab wounds in her home.

The Sentencing Council was made up of five men and two women. During the trial, evidence such as clothes, sandals, weapons, audio and videos were displayed.

João Batista, who was a member of the RN Court of Justice, was arrested in Natal. In his car, police seized knives, brass knuckles and a pistol with blood on it.

The Popular Jury Court of Assú, in the western region of Rio Grande do Norte, sentenced João Batista de Carvalho Neto, aged 43, to 25 years in closed prison for the murder of psychologist Fabiana Maia Veras, aged 42.

The trial began at 9:40 am on Wednesday (11) and continued until midnight on Thursday (12), after around 14 hours of session. The defendant was convicted of triple homicide, for gross, cruel and dissimulation reasons. The session was chaired by judge Lucas de Medeiros Lima, from the 3rd Court of the District of Assú.

Fabiana was murdered on April 23, 2024, inside the house where she lived and had her office, in the Vertentes neighborhood, in Assú.

The Sentencing Council was made up of five men and two women, drawn from among the jurors. After the choice, the seven made a commitment to participate in the trial.

During the session, the judge authorized the exhibition of evidence related to the case, such as clothes, sandals, weapons and audio and video records.

João Batista, known as João Bomba, had been in prison since April 2024, when he was arrested in Natal as the main suspect in the murder. At the time, he was a member of the Rio Grande do Norte Court of Justice.

The crime: Fabiana was found dead in the early evening of a Tuesday (23) inside her house in the city of Assú, in the Western Region of Rio Grande do Norte. According to the police, the body was gagged and had marks of stab wounds.

Security camera footage from the victim's home shows a man arriving at the residence at around 4:30 p.m. According to the police, this same man was arrested in Natal the following day, as the main suspect in the crime.

The arrested suspect is a member of the Rio Grande do Norte Court of Justice. He is 41 years old, according to the Civil Police.

He was arrested upon arriving at one of his properties, in Natal. Inside his car, police officers and experts from the Technical-Scientific Institute of Expertise (Itep) found a bag with three knives, two brass knuckles and a pistol with blood on it.

Experts also collected possible fragments of blood on the building's stairs, inside the suspect's apartment and on his shoe. One of the reports still awaited by forensics is the DNA analysis of the blood found on the shoe.