The jury trial for Military Police Lieutenant Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo, accused of ending the life of Leandro Lo, was dissolved just hours after it began due to a heated disagreement between prosecution and defense attorneys.
The proceedings at the Barra Funda Criminal Court in western São Paulo came to an abrupt halt when tensions escalated between the legal teams forcing court officials to reschedule the trial for November 12th of this year.
This marks the second significant delay in bringing the case to trial. The original hearing was set for May 22nd but was suspended after Velozo’s defense team successfully challenged the presiding judge’s conduct. The lawyers argued that the judge had created an unfair advantage by excluding their technical assistants on the eve of the trial.
“The judge unilaterally ordered, on the eve of the hearing, the exclusion of the defense’s technical assistants, who were previously authorized to participate in the trial,”
the defense attorneys stated in their complaint. They maintained that proceeding under such conditions would result in
“a nullity of the jury, which causes an immense financial and energy expenditure for everyone involved in the criminal case.”
Judge Marco Antônio Cogan ultimately granted the defense’s request acknowledging their concerns about potential procedural imbalances that could compromise the integrity of the trial.
The case centers on the loss of 33-year-old Leandro Lo, who was struck in the head during the early morning hours of August 7, 2022. The champion athlete was attending a performance by the pagode group Pixote at Esporte Clube Sírio in the Planalto Paulista neighborhood when the incident occurred.
Following the incident investigators determined that Lieutenant Velozo left the venue and made stops at various locations before ultimately surrendering to the Military Police Internal Affairs Unit later that evening. The officer has remained in pretrial detention at Romão Gomes Military Prison, a facility specifically designated for law enforcement personnel.
Velozo’s attorney Claudio Dalledone has consistently maintained that his client acted in self-defense though the prosecution disputes this characterization of events.
The athlete’s mother, Fátima Lo, expressed her determination to see justice served as the latest trial date approached.
“May justice be served, may he receive the maximum sentence and go to jail, because he doesn’t represent the police,”
she told reporters.
“He abused his power. He shot my son in the head, kicked my son in the head twice. A murderous mind.”
The repeated delays have added to the anguish of Lo‘s family and supporters who have waited more than two years for resolution in this high-profile case that stunned Brazil’s jiu-jitsu community and raised questions about police conduct.
As November approaches all parties involved are preparing for what they hope will be the definitive trial that finally brings closure to this tragic case that claimed the life of one of Brazil’s most celebrated martial arts champions.
