The trial of former deputy Flordelis dos Santos de Souza, appointed as the orderer of the death of her husband, Pastor Anderson do Carmo, enters the final stretch this weekend. On Friday night (11), the last witness began to be heard. 
It is the 24th testimony taken since Monday (7): 13 were indications of the prosecution and 11 of the defendants’ defenses. The initial forecast was that 30 witnesses would be heard, but some were later dismissed. Tomorrow (12), individual interrogations of each of the five defendants should begin.
Flordelis and four other suspects involved in the case are tried by the Jury Court of Niterói, according to a decision taken in September last year by the Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro (TJRJ). Only intentional crimes against life can be submitted to the Jury Court, which is composed of seven individuals selected by lot from among previously enlisted and sworn citizens.
Gospel singer and pastor in her own ministry, Flordelis was elected federal deputy in 2019 for the Social Democratic Party (PSD) with great support from the faithful. She was the most voted woman in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Upon completion of investigations into Anderson’s death, she was revoked. The investigations also involved part of her family, made up of more than 50 children, of which three are biological and the others are adopted or classified as affective.
Anderson was shot dead on the night of June 16, 2019, shortly after arriving at the family’s home in the Pendotiba neighborhood of Niterói (RJ). At first, Flordelis maintained that it was an attempted robbery. However, the police investigation concluded in August 2020 indicated that a homicide had occurred and pointed to the then parliamentarian as the principal. The motive for the crime would have been the dispute for power and financial control in the family.
Due to parliamentary immunity, the deputy could not be arrested in the course of investigations. On the other hand, the biological son of the couple Flávio dos Santos, accused of being the author of the shooting, and the adopted son Lucas dos Santos, who would be responsible for the purchase of the weapon, were arrested. Subsequently, with the conclusion of the investigation, the other two biological children – Adriano dos Santos and Simone dos Santos -, three adopted children – Marzy Teixeira, André Luiz de Oliveira and Carlos Ubiraci Silva – and granddaughter Rayane dos Santos were arrested. They were accused of involvement in the crime or of trying to disrupt the investigation.
With the repercussion of the conclusions of the police investigation, Flordelis was expelled from the PSD and her impeachment was approved in the Chamber of Deputies in August 2021 by 437 votes against seven. With no privileged forum, he was arrested two days later.
In the ongoing trial, it will be up to the Jury Court to sentence Flordelis, André Luiz de Oliveira, Marzy Teixeira, Simone dos Santos and Rayane dos Santos. The proceedings are presided over by Judge Nearis Arce. Others accused of involvement in the crime have already been tried before. Flávio dos Santos and Lucas dos Santos were convicted of triple aggravated murder and other crimes.
In April of that year, the Jury Court convicted Adriano dos Santos and two other people unrelated to the family for using a false document: former military police officer Marcos Costa and his wife Andrea Maia. In the same trial, Carlos Ubiraci Silva was acquitted of the murder charge, but sentenced for criminal association to a sentence of two years, two months and 20 days. As he had been in jail since August 2020, he was granted parole in May.
Jury
The witnesses heard on the first day of the trial already indicated a long trial. Police chief Bárbara Lomba, for example, spoke for more than 4 hours. She presided over the first phase of the investigations that resulted in the arrest of Flávio dos Santos and Lucas dos Santos.
Initially there was an expectation that the trial would end in three days, but it has been extended not only by the lengthy depositions, but also by a turmoil happened yesterday (10) and for delays at the beginning of some sessions. In addition, at different times, Flordelis and Marzy became ill and demanded stoppages for medical care.
At the current rate, the verdict should not come out before Sunday (13). With the end of the testimonies of the witnesses, the individual interrogations of the five defendants will be carried out and, then, the final speeches of the prosecution and the defense. Only then do the jurors make their decision. During the entire trial, they are isolated in a hotel and incommunicado, without access to a telephone.
The prosecution is conducted by the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ), with lawyers representing the pastor’s family as assistants. They reiterate the conclusions of the police investigation, in which the financial motivation of the homicide and the occurrence of other attempts to murder the pastor, with the addition of poison in the victim’s food and drinks, are pointed out.
Among the defendants, Simone dos Santos Rodrigues admitted in the course of the process that he gave Marzy money to kill Anderson. She said that she wanted to get rid of sexual abuse committed by the pastor, but did not believe that her sister would have the courage to comply with her request. Marzy, in turn, has already claimed that she had the idea of taking Anderson’s life alone and made an offer to Lucas, who would have refused, preventing the plan from moving forward. She pleaded not guilty.
Flordelis also claims innocence and his defense argues that the crime was the result of Simone’s reaction to the victim’s sexual behavior. The lawyer representing the former deputy, Janira Rocha, seeks to show the jurors that Anderson had an abuser profile. In addition, yesterday (10) she even asked for the exhumation of the pastor’s body, so that the prosecution’s allegation that there were attempts at poisoning could be analyzed. The request, however, was denied by Judge Nearis dos Santos.
