Court condemns trio for brutal murder and use of caustic soda in Garopaba

Three men were convicted of murdering an individual and hiding the body with caustic soda in Garopaba, on the South Coast of Santa Catarina. The court decision, handed down on July 31, 2026, resulted in sentences of up to 24 years in prison, following the crime that shocked the region.

Convictions and penalties imposed on those involved in the crime

One of the defendants received the longest sentence, 24 years, for qualified homicide and concealment of a corpse. Another person involved was sentenced to 20 years for murder alone. The third man, accused only of hiding a corpse, had his sentence declared extinct, as he had already served an equivalent amount of time in pre-trial detention.

The two defendants convicted of murder will not have the right to appeal freely, according to the court order.

Details of the murder motivated by motorcycle theft

The prosecution detailed that the murder was motivated by revenge, following the alleged theft of a motorcycle belonging to one of the criminals. The victim was captured in his own residence, attacked and then taken to an isolated area known as “Morro do Zé”, in the Encantada neighborhood, where he was killed.

The Public Ministry of Santa Catarina (MPSC) maintained that the crime had a base motive, used cruel means and made it difficult for the man to defend himself, arguments that were fully accepted by the Sentencing Council.

How the criminals tried to hide the victim’s body

After the murder, the group tried to hide the body to make it difficult to locate the remains and, consequently, the investigation. They transported him to a difficult-to-access forested area, buried him and covered him with caustic soda.

Other people who were also tried for the same case

The MPSC indicated that the case involved the participation of more people, and three others had already been tried before by the Jury Court in previous stages of the process. On those occasions, two defendants were convicted of qualified homicide and robbery, one of them also for drug trafficking, with sentences exceeding 22 years in prison for each.

The third defendant had his conduct disqualified by the jurors as bodily injury followed by death, receiving a sentence of five years in prison. Two other defendants, who had been charged with false testimony, signed non-criminal prosecution agreements with the Public Prosecutor’s Office.