A Brazilian military police officer who ended the life of world-champion jiu-jitsu Leandro Lo has issued a public apology to the target’s family following his controversial acquittal last week.
Lieutenant Henrique Velozo was absolved of charges after a jury accepted his claim of self-defense in the August 2022 incident. In a video statement released Monday and provided to media by his legal team, the officer addressed Lo’s loved ones directly.
“I need to make a request for forgiveness to the family members, the mother, the father, the sister, the friends, and to all the people who loved Leandro Lo,”
Velozo said in the recording. He added that he had spent three years and three months incarcerated awaiting trial.
The officer maintained that his actions were necessary for survival.
“I would also like to clarify that on this day I was placed at a limit, a limit that I would not like to be, where I unfortunately had to dirty my hands with blood to be able to preserve my life,”
he stated.
The case has drawn sharp divisions over what actually transpired that fatal day. According to prosecutors, Velozo approached the table where Lo sat with companions and provoked a confrontation. The champion grappler then applied a jiu-jitsu technique to restrain the officer. After being released, prosecutors say Velozo returned and fired a round toward Lo’s head, then kicked him after firing.
The defense presented a starkly different narrative that ultimately persuaded the jury. Velozo’s attorneys Renan Canto and Cláudio Delladone argued their client was confronted by Lo’s group. According to this version, after attempting to defuse tensions, the officer was pushed by one of Lo’s companions before the grappler applied the takedown.
The defense claims that after being released from the hold, Velozo identified himself as a police officer and drew. They assert Lo advanced toward him again while another person attempted to grab the fir earm, leading to the fatal round.
“The version of the witnesses, friends of Leandro, were contradictory and lies. At all times they wanted to defend the blows applied by Leandro,”
attorney Canto said.
Lo’s family legal team strongly disputes the officer’s account. Their lawyer Adriano Vanni questioned why Velozo remained silent for eight months after being indicted before presenting his version of events.
“His version was constructed by the defense. When he was indicted, he remained silent. He waited for all the witnesses to speak several times before presenting his version in court. If he is a PM officer who acted in self-defense, why did it take eight months to present the version? Our version is that of the witnesses. Society understood it was legitimate defense, we will appeal.”
The trial, which began November 12, heard from three prosecution witnesses, one defense witness and the defendant himself. At least four of the seven jurors accepted the self-defense argument, leading to the acquittal. Prosecutors had sought a minimum 20-year sentence.
Judge Fernanda Jacomini of the 1st Jury Court handed down the sentence. The target’s family reacted with outrage while prosecutors indicated they see grounds for appeal, citing procedural irregularities and expressing confidence the verdict could be overturned.
The case continues to generate debate about justice and accountability in Brazil, particularly given Lo’s status as a celebrated athlete in the martial arts community.
