Man accused of murdering street vendor sentenced to 14 years in prison

The Court of Blumenau, in the Itajaí Valley, sentenced Gleidson Tiago da Cruz to 14 years in prison for the murder of Giovane Ferreira da Silva de Oliveira, a 29-year-old street vendor. The event, which occurred on November 3, 2023, was triggered when Giovane tried to sell a paçoca to Gleidson's daughter in front of a supermarket in Blumenau.

The trial, which lasted 10 hours, concluded with a guilty verdict by a popular jury. Gleidson's defense announced that he will appeal the decision.

The Public Ministry of Santa Catarina (MPSC), which presented the accusation, confirmed that the murder was classified as motivated by futile reasons and that made it impossible for the victim to defend himself. The court determined that releasing Gleidson would represent a danger to society, so he will remain in prison from the day of the murder.

During the trial, testimonies were heard from five witnesses and the accused. The victim's family, including his father, mother, seven siblings and some nephews, were present in court. One of Giovane's sisters mentioned that he worked as a housekeeper before deciding to live on the streets due to his drug use.

Prosecutor Carlos Alberto da Silva Galdino expressed his satisfaction with the verdict, although he did not rule out the possibility of appealing to increase the sentence. Giovane's family lawyer, Maria Cecilia Seraphim, also spoke about the difficulty of the trial due to the defense's attempts to blame the victim.

Defense attorney Rodolfo Warmeling argued that the crime was the result of prior threats by the victim toward Gleidson and his family. According to Warmeling, the motivation for the murder was not related to the sale of the candy, but rather to a series of serious threats to the physical integrity of the accused.

On the day of the incident, after an initial argument in which Giovane hit Gleidson with a metal rod, the defendant returned to his house and returned to the supermarket armed with a knife. In the presence of his daughter, he attacked Giovane, who tried to flee, but was chased and stabbed again until he fell mortally wounded.