The blood ties that should unite the family ended up thrusting its members into the middle of a violent tragedy. The death of Flamengo fan Felipe Vinhas de Jesus, 29, during a gathering after the Libertadores final, last Saturday (29/11), in Santa Maria, revealed a network of family relationships that are now crucial in understanding the motive behind the crime.
In the first hours of the investigation, the police discovered that the two main suspects in the attack were not strangers to the victim. On the contrary, they were linked to Felipe through his companion. The shooter, Benedetto de Souza, is the cousin of Felipe’s wife. The driver of the escape car, Cristiano da Conceição, is her brother.
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Benedetto confessed to the Military Police of Goiás (PMGO) to killing Felipe out of revenge. According to him, the victim kept his cousin, Felipe’s current partner, in a private prison and attacked his aunt. Based on this supposed motive, the cousin decided to act on his own. He said in his statement that he fired nine shots at the fan.
Escape, pursuit and arrest
After the crime that occurred on Saturday night, Benedetto and Cristiano fled in a black Fiat Cronos, a car owned by Cristiano and used as a support vehicle for the execution and escape. The arrest operation involved a joint effort by the Military Police of the Defense Force and Goiás and the Civil Police of the Defense Force.
Teams traced the suspects to Caldas Novas (GO). Cronos is located in the Olegario Pinto neighborhood. Cristiano was found first and told police that Benedetto was hiding in a hotel in the Nova Vila area.
During the approach attempt, Benedetto attempted to escape, and ended up dropping a 9mm handgun and three magazines. He was arrested in the bathroom of one of the hotel rooms. According to the police, he admitted that he was the one who fired the shots.
Now, investigators are putting the pieces of the puzzle together to understand whether the motive was simply family revenge or whether other people were involved in planning and carrying out the attack.
The Churrasquinho Tá na Área stall was packed. Fans in red and black celebrated Flamengo’s victory in the Copa Libertadores. Loud music, red and black shirts on the tables, barbecues and drinks marked the party. Everything changed in seconds.
Eyewitnesses reported that the sound of gunshots led to people running, screaming and panicking. Three Flamengo fans were shot. Felipe was rescued by friends and taken to Gama Regional Hospital, but he did not survive.
Two other victims were taken to Santa Maria Regional Hospital and survived.
When the PDF arrived, they found the place full of chaos: chairs falling, people crying, and an atmosphere of disbelief among the crowd. The stall owner confirmed that the wounded had already been taken away by the regulars.
The investigation is ongoing
The 33rd Police Station (Santa Maria) took over the case, which was initially registered as multiple attempted murders, one of the crimes completed with Felipe’s death.
The next stages of the investigation will seek to confirm:
- whether the alleged assaults reported by the shooter actually occurred;
- Whether the crime was planned in advance;
- If there are other family members or people involved;
- Whether the motive is limited to revenge or involves previous disagreements.
Meanwhile, Felipe’s family and friends are mourning the loss of a young father who left home to celebrate his favorite team’s title and never returned. The police continue to work to clarify all the details of this tragic night in Santa Maria.