Bruno and Dom case: defendants claim self-defense
The individuals accused of the murder of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous activist Bruno Pereira have retracted their previous confession to the police and are now claiming that they acted in self-defense. During a hearing before the Federal Court on Monday (May 8), they stated that Pereira was the first to fire the shots.
During an interview with Agência Brasil, Rafael Fagundes, the lawyer representing Dom's family, stated that the accused had previously admitted to the police that they had fired the first shots.
"That is a natural reaction. It is their right to defend themselves, even if the version they have presented doesn't hold up, neither from the logical point of view nor from the point of view of the evidence in the case file," said the lawyer.
Due to the accused, Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, Oseney Costa de Oliveira, and Jeferson da Silva Lima being held in federal prisons, the hearing at the Federal Court was conducted via videoconference in Tabatinga, located in the state of Amazonas. Amarildo da Costa Oliveira is held in Catanduvas, Paraná state, while Oseney Costa de Oliveira and Jeferson da Silva Lima are imprisoned in Campo Grande, located in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.
The hearing marked the first time the accused had presented their defense to the court, with witness statements having been previously heard during earlier proceedings. "The only discordant voice claiming the guilt of my clients is that of their relatives, who have not even pledged to tell the truth," explained the lawyer.
Fagundes explained that the parties involved in the legal proceedings will now request their final pieces of evidence and may also ask for further investigations, such as the submission of additional documents, issuance of letters, and the gathering of information. Subsequently, the judge will decide whether the accused will be sent to a jury trial, although there is no specific timeline for this decision.
Background
The correspondent for the British newspaper The Guardian and the indigenous expert were both assassinated in June 2022. The two were collaborating to denounce socio-environmental crimes in the Vale do Javari region, where the world's largest concentration of isolated and recently-contacted peoples live. Dom Phillips had planned to publish a book on the issues plaguing the area and was investigating the matter at the time of his death. The Vale do Javari indigenous territory is home to 64 villages, with 26 different peoples and an estimated population of 6,300.
Authorities have identified at least eight individuals suspected of being involved in the murders and the subsequent cover-up of the bodies. In late October 2022, Rubens Villar Pereira, who is believed to have been the mastermind behind the murders, was granted bail after posting BRL 15,000.
