Police officer found tied up in bush is arrested on suspicion of charred death of soldier in CE

Júlia Natália Girão Gomes, 27, is considered suspected of involvement in the death of PM soldier Raphael Sampaio da Silva, 27, found charred in a car early Tuesday morning.

The Civil Police are investigating whether Júlia pretended to be a victim of the crime to hide her involvement in the death.

Lawyer Walmir Medeiros, responsible for the police officer's defense, said this Wednesday (12) that there is no evidence of her participation in the crime and that the investigation is being conducted hastily.

Raphael's body was found after a warning about a burning car near the Ancuri neighborhood. The Fire Department identified that there was a body inside the vehicle while putting out the fire.

Hours later, still in the morning, Júlia was found in a bush area in the neighboring city of Aquiraz, close to BR-116.

In a statement to the police, she stated that she remained tied up in place throughout the morning.

However, security camera images obtained by investigators show a woman who was supposedly Júlia in her husband's mechanic shop at the time when, according to her testimony, she was tied up.

The lawyer said that Júlia went to the police station to speak to the authorities, she was very shaken and had difficulty remembering the order of the events. "She's confused, she's just crying. Which is normal in a traumatic situation, she saw her friend being killed next to her," he said.

According to the police officer, the two were in a car together when Raphael was approached by a criminal and shot dead while still inside the vehicle. Júlia would have been removed from the vehicle, tied up and taken to another location.

Her lawyer said that Raphael's death could be related to factions operating in the region, and that Júlia could be used by investigators to find a culprit in a hurry to rule out the involvement of criminal groups.

"[The arrest is] without evidence, without anything, simply in conjecture, in deductions and in political will, in my opinion", said the lawyer.

The police officer has not yet had the arrest report filed by the Civil Police until noon this Wednesday (12), a necessary procedure for the custody hearing to be scheduled.

In a statement, the Secretariat of Public Security and Social Defense of Ceará said that forensic expertise identified that Raphael was shot when he was alive, before his body was burned. The police did not say what the possible motivations for the crime were.

The two were teammates in the 2nd Company of the 16th Military Police Battalion (2nd Company/16th BPM). Raphael joined the Ceará PM in June 2022. Júlia had been with the corporation since November 2024.

Júlia's husband, whose name was not released, was also taken to give a statement on Tuesday night and ended up arrested.

According to her lawyer, the police entered the house of her husband's mother without a warrant. At the scene, he allegedly found fake identity cards and revolver ammunition. Walmir stated that there was an illegal act and that he will request that the evidence be recognized as illegal.

Júlia was already being investigated by the police for embezzlement, laundering or hiding assets and participation in a criminal organization, in an episode unrelated to the case. The husband has a criminal record for embezzlement, false identity, laundering or concealment of assets, rights and values, participation in a criminal organization, receiving and illegal possession of a firearm for permitted use.

The governor of Ceará, Elmano de Freitas (PT), expressed regret over the police officer's death and ordered rigor in the investigations. "Those responsible for this barbaric crime will be arrested and brought to justice," the governor published on social media.

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