The Espírito Santo Civil Police concluded the investigation into the murder of two teenagers, aged 14 and 15, who died in July this year in Bairro das Laranjeiras, in Serra. The crime was attributed to Welton dos Santos Souza, Riquinho, 20 years old, and Nicolas Venâncio Santos, known as Gradinha, 18 years old. Both were arrested less than a month after the double homicide.
According to the Specialized Division of Homicide and Personal Protection (DHPP), the motivation is directly linked to the war between factions that dominate drug trafficking in the region.
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Investigators concluded that the suspects wanted to “show service” to gain trust within the criminal organization and, thus, climb the ranks.
The crime occurred on the afternoon of July 23, while the victims were in a club accompanied by their friends and their two children aged 6 and 10. The teenagers were approached by the criminals, questioned about a previous murder and executed without any chance of defense.
After the shootings, Riquinho and Gradinha attempted to erase the footage from local security cameras. The attempt failed. The investigation progressed after police found, on Gradinha’s cell phone, audio recordings sent to his own aunt, in which he confessed in detail to the crime.
In the files, he states that he did not kill the teens’ girlfriends because his partner “felt sorry” and because one of them was pregnant, which he said would turn the action into a “massacre.”
Investigators say the suspects cited an alleged old threat made by one of the victims, but stress that this justification is not supported by the evidence collected. For the police, the execution was simply strategic in nature, killing to gain status within the faction.
This case reinforces the critical scenario of violence in Bairro das Laranjeiras, which has become one of the most troubled places in the Serra due to the permanent clash between rival criminal groups. The teens’ names have not been released.