Cenira Angelica, victim of feminicide in Alagoas. Disclosure / Sinteal Defendant José Ricardo dos Santos was sentenced, this Wednesday (29), to 29 years, eight months and 16 days in prison, in an initially closed regime, for the femicide of teacher Cenira Angélica Ventura da Silva, aged 39. She was killed with 37 stab wounds in March 2018, in Viçosa, in the interior of Alagoas. ?Join the g1 Alagoas channel Main points of the conviction: Qualifiers: The jury recognized a futile motive, an appeal that made it difficult to defend the victim and feminicide. Defendant's version: José Ricardo denied the crime via videoconference and blamed an alleged invader. Arrest: The man fled after the crime and was only arrested in December 2023, in Mato Grosso. The trial took place at the Oscar Tenório Desembargador Forum, in Viçosa. The prosecution was led by prosecutor Gustavo Arns, with the participation of assistant prosecutor Mozart Costa. READ ALSO: What is feminicide and how to report cases of violence against women See how to request an urgent protective measure in Alagoas What is feminicide? Version of the defendant José Ricardo participated in the trial via videoconference and denied having killed the teacher. The defense stated that there was not enough evidence to convict him and maintained the possibility that another man had entered the residence after the defendant left and committed the crime. According to the defendant, on the day of the feminicide, the teacher received a call and told the person on the phone: “Don't come today, because he's here.” José Ricardo stated that he was irritated because she did not want to reveal who she was talking to and that he left while the victim was taking a shower. Prosecutor Gustavo Arns and assistant prosecutor Mozart Costa during the trial of José Ricardo dos Santos, convicted of the feminicide of teacher Cenira Angélica Ventura da Silva. MP/AL During the interrogation, he gave contradictory answers when asked whether Angélica was in the shower when he left the house. Initially, he answered yes, but then said “yes, no”. José Ricardo also stated that he left Viçosa because a cousin had said that residents pointed to him as the perpetrator of the crime and advised him to leave the city. The cousin, who was the only witness named by the defense, died in an accident before the trial. The defendant fled after the feminicide and remained at large until December 2023, when he was arrested in the state of Mato Grosso. He accompanied the jury from the prison unit where he is being held. Brother reports possessive behavior The first witness heard was Alexandre Henrique Ventura, the teacher's brother. He stated that Angélica was a dear person and always willing to help. "She was a person who everyone around her liked easily. She was always willing to help people", he said. Alexandre said that the family later found out about the relationship and that the mother disapproved of the union because she considered José Ricardo strange and possessive. "My mother said he was strange and had possessive behavior. I even found out that his ex-partner was scared to death of him," he declared. According to her brother, Angélica had left school early on the day of the crime and remained in a square with friends. Afterwards, he found José Ricardo and followed him home. Neighbors reportedly heard screams and an argument inside the property. The teacher began to be attacked inside the residence and tried to escape. She left the property wrapped in a towel, but was caught and killed on a public street. Alexandre stated that, upon arriving at the scene, he heard residents say that José Ricardo had fled at high speed on a motorcycle. "I saw it, but my brain blocked it. I think it was due to the shock", said the brother about the injuries suffered by the victim. Prosecutor points out lack of remorse José Ricardo dos Santos was found guilty of the feminicide of Cenira Angélica Ventura da Silva. MP/AL During the reply, prosecutor Gustavo Arns refuted the defense's argument that a witness had not initially reported hearing Angélica scream the defendant's name. According to the prosecutor, the witness explained that he did not speak before because he was afraid, as José Ricardo had not yet been arrested. When arguing that no witness had spoken badly about the defendant, the defense was challenged by the Public Prosecutor's representative. “She’s the one who no longer has the right to say anything,” said the prosecutor, referring to the victim. Arns also highlighted José Ricardo's reaction during the interrogation. Asked if he had cared about the teacher's death, the defendant responded affirmatively while laughing. “You saw that he laughed when I asked if he felt the victim’s death, and that is a construction of certainty,” the prosecutor told the jurors. After the conviction, the Court ordered the Criminal Executions Court to be activated to arrange for the transfer of José Ricardo to Alagoas, where he will have to serve his sentence.