Parliamentarian Erika Hilton, from PSOL, formalized this Monday (15) a request to the Federal Police (PF) Directorate for Combating Cybercrime. The objective is to initiate a criminal investigation against users of the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, due to publications that refer to the death of Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, aged 21.
The deputy highlighted the details of the tragic incident, mentioning that the young woman died after being thrown during a rope jump on the structure popularly known as “Ponte do Esqueleto”, located in Limeira, in the interior of São Paulo. According to witness statements, the organizers of the activity had neglected to connect the safety rope before the throw, a crucial detail that is under investigation by the authorities.
Erika Hilton emphasizes that the vast repercussion of what happened led to the dissemination, on the social network
The filed document includes a list of profiles and posts that, in the deputy’s opinion, require investigation. She argues that these actions may constitute the offense described in article 287 of the Penal Code, which deals with the alleged incitement, glorification, normalization and propagation of sexual violence. Furthermore, the political representative requested the verification of the crime stipulated in article 212 of the Penal Code, which addresses the offense to the memory of deceased people through the vilification of a corpse.
According to the text, the messages conveyed contained direct allusions to violent sexual practices against the victim’s body, characterizing an outrage to his memory and dignity. Some of the expressions published included: “party at IML”, “I’m going to take part in the IML competition” and “the earth will eat before many people”.
In the same letter, Erika Hilton highlighted that such posts encourage the trivialization of sexual violence and the propagation of misogynistic ideologies in the digital environment of social networks. Concluding her petition, the deputy requested the beginning of an investigation process to determine the possible occurrence of the crimes outlined in articles 212 and 287 of the Penal Code. The request also covers the execution of measures to identify the authors of the mentioned profiles, requesting registration data and connection records that platform X or other entities may have. The parliamentarian also requested that, if there is proof of the materiality of the facts and clear evidence of authorship, appropriate legal actions be taken to hold the individuals involved criminally responsible.
The Federal Police have not yet confirmed official receipt of the request, but have already stated internally that they do not have the legal competence to act in this type of case, indicating that responsibility for the investigation lies with the state level. This initial positioning of the PF raises an important question about which body will actually conduct the investigation of the publications.
Progress of investigations into those responsible for the death
Three individuals, aged 42, 32 and 27, will be the subject of investigation for homicide with possible intent, following the death of young Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas. The identities of those involved have not been made public. However, the police force clarified that everyone had participated in organizing the activity, one of them being a civil firefighter and the others helping in preparing the jumps. Initially, six people were detained, but half of them were later released.
History of jumps and the location of the accident that resulted in death
Lawyer Rafael Gomes dos Santos, defender of the three detainees, declared that rope jumping does not have specific regulations in Brazil, but it is also not categorically prohibited. According to the jurist, similar events have already occurred on the well-known Skeletor Bridge without any hindrance from public authorities.
The legal defender also reported that the activity held last Saturday attracted approximately one hundred participants. He described the incident as a “sad fatality”, highlighting that the organizers have years of experience in practicing the sport, with no previous record of accidents.
The concept of homicide with eventual intent applies when the agent does not directly seek the result of death, but deliberately assumes the risk that this consequence may occur when carrying out a specific action. In the context of Criminal Law, there are fundamental distinctions between:
- Direct intent: Characterized by the explicit intention to cause death.
- Possible intent: Occurs when the individual foresees the possibility of their conduct resulting in death and, even so, chooses to continue with the action.
- Fault: Applies in situations where there is no intention to kill nor acceptance of the risk, but the result arises from negligence, recklessness or incompetence.
Images record the moment of the jump and the panic reaction
A witness present at the scene reported to the Military Police that the organizing company’s employees had failed to secure the safety equipment before carrying out the jump. A video widely circulated on digital platforms shows the moment in which employees take the victim to the launch platform. Then, the young woman is thrown, and seconds later, desperate voices can be heard shouting: “the rope”, “people, the rope”.
The individuals present at the recordings wore t-shirts with the logos of the companies Entre Cordas and Ih Voei. At the time of the last update of this report, the g1 team had not been able to establish communication with representatives of either company.
The municipal administration of Limeira announced that it intends to take legal action against the Federal Government, alleging failure to manage the Skeletor Bridge, the point from where the young woman made the jump. According to the city hall, responsibility for inspection, conservation and access control of the site would fall to the federal level.