The former vice-mayor of Ibitirama (ES), Célio Martins Morales, left prison this Friday (19) after being sentenced to 3 years and 11 months for the death of his wife, Vanuza Spala de Almeida, aged 41. The Jury Court disqualified the charge of feminicide and understood that the case qualifies as manslaughter, without intent to kill.
Furthermore, Célio was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm and procedural fraud. The judge authorized him to be released, and the release permit was issued this Friday, according to the State Secretariat for Justice (Sejus).
The trial was held in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim after transferring the case from the district of Ibitirama, given the repercussion of the case and the political influence of the defendant in the city.
The decision contradicted the thesis of the Public Ministry of Espírito Santo (MPES), which defended the conviction for feminicide. The agency said it will appeal the sentence.
Vanuza died after being shot in the chest in April 2023. At the time, Célio told the police that his wife had taken her own life. The investigation, however, concluded that the former vice-mayor was charged with feminicide.
According to police chief Tiago Dorneles, expert reports indicated the absence of typical marks from a close-range shot, an element that, for the Civil Police, weakened the hypothesis of suicide. Even so, the jurors decided to dismiss the charge of intentional homicide presented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
