Military police officer Henrique Velozo, who is currently incarcerated for the 2022 death of jiu-jitsu world champion Leandro Lo, will once again receive his salary of approximately $2,160 following a recent Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling.
Minister André Mendonça determined on March 17 that the São Paulo government must resume payment to the lieutenant, who has been held at the Romão Gomes Prison in the North Zone of São Paulo for more than two and a half years in connection with the case.
The decision came after Velozo’s defense successfully appealed a previous ruling by the Court of Justice of São Paulo (TJ-SP) that had ordered the suspension of his salary payments.
According to Minister Mendonça’s reasoning, since Velozo has not yet been definitively convicted of the homicide, suspending his salary would violate both the principle of presumption of innocence and the constitutional guarantee against salary reduction for public servants who are imprisoned without a final sentence.
The case stems from a tragic incident on August 7, 2022, when Leandro Lo, a 33-year-old multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion, was fatally shot in the head during a pagode music show by the group Pixote at Clube Sírio in the Indianópolis neighborhood of São Paulo’s South Zone.
The incident occurred following a disagreement between the two men. Velozo, identified as the suspect in the shooting, was subsequently arrested and has remained in custody since.
The decision has sparked discussions about the rights of public servants accused of crimes while their cases proceed through Brazil’s judicial system.
Velozo’s trial is scheduled to begin in May.
