On July 5, 2012, an unidentified gunman on a motorcycle shot Valério Luiz de Oliveira at least four times outside his offices at Rádio Jornal 820 AM, where he hosted a sports program; he died at the scene.
Oliveira was known for his critical commentary on Rádio Jornal and the independent television broadcaster PUC TV regarding the management of the local football team Atlético Goianiense.
Less than a month before the killing, Atlético Goianiense’s directors had sent a letter to PUC TV and Rádio Jornal informing both outlets that their employees were prohibited from entering the club’s premises. The letter described Oliveira as a “persona non grata.”
Manoel de Oliveira, a well-known sports commentator and the journalist’s father, said he believed his son’s death was related to his reporting and that he had "lost his son because of football," the TV station Globo reported. Lorena Nascimento de Oliveira, the journalist’s wife, said he had told her he was concerned by problems he had with people involved with the sport, the Globo report said. She did not offer further details.
The management of Atlético Goianiense released a statement condemning the murder and calling for a full investigation. "Luiz was known for his commentary, which at times angered some sectors of the club, but on the other hand, his strong opinions also informed the club’s decision-making and helped Atlético grow," the statement said.
According to multiple news reports, an investigation by the Goiás state civil police was concluded in February 2013 and identified five men as the alleged perpetrators:
● Former vice-president of Atlético Goianiense Maurício Borges Sampaio, the alleged mastermind said to have ordered the killing in retaliation to Oliveira’s critical reporting of the football club
● Military police officer Ademá Figuerêdo Aguiar Filho, the alleged shooter
● Military police officer Djalma Gomes da Silva, an alleged accomplice
● Urbano de Carvalho Malta, an alleged accomplice and a former employee of Sampaio
● Marcus Vinícius Pereira Xavier, a butcher and an alleged accomplice.
In March 2013, the Goiás State Public Prosecutor charged the five men for Oliveira’s murder, according to news reports. In August 2014, the Second Criminal Court in Goiânia decided the accused should face trial by jury.
Starting in 2014, the suspects’ trial was repeatedly delayed for various reasons, including multiple appeals from defense attorneys, several decisions by the Goiás Court of Justice, a judge withdrawing from the trial, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
On November 9, 2022, a Goiás state jury convicted and sentenced four men in connection with Oliveira’s murder after a three-day trial, according to reports and statements by the court and prosecutor’s office.
The state court jury found the fifth not guilty. Da Silva was acquitted, and the Goiás state prosecutions’ office filed an appeal for a new trial, according to news reports and Valério Luiz Filho.
The court sentenced Sampaio to 16 years in prison for masterminding the killing, and sentenced Aguiar Filho to 16 years and Xavier and Malta to 14 years each for planning and carrying out the crime.
According to news reports, Xavier confessed to participating in Oliveira’s killing but later changed his testimony, and the other four accused denied any participation. In a 2022 interview, Xavier’s lawyer said he did not commit any crime.
Judge Daniela Teixeira, on the fifth panel of the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice, provisionally annulled the 2022 convictions on February 29, 2024 after Sampaio’s lawyers argued that his defense was harmed because they had not been present at a 2015 hearing involving Xavier.
On April 12, 2024, the judge reversed her decision and reinstated the convictions of the four accused.
On April 23, the Goiás state court unanimously confirmed the 2022 convictions, and on May 21, the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (STJ) rejected Sampaio’s appeal and also upheld the four men’s convictions.
The four defendants remain free pending further appeals to the STJ and Supreme Court.
Ricardo Naves, the attorney for Sampaio, Malta, and Aguiar Filho, told CPJ via messaging app that he would file a special appeal to the STJ and an extraordinary appeal to the Supreme Court.
CPJ’s text message to Xavier’s attorney, Rogério Rodrigues de Paula, requesting comment did not receive any reply.