The São Paulo Jury Court convicted businessman Leonardo Souza Ceschini to 13 years and 24 days in closed prison for the murder of his wife Érica Ceschini. The trial ended Monday evening at the Barra Funda Courthouse. The crime occurred in January 2021 in the family's apartment located in the North Zone of the capital.
The motive for the crime was an argument about soccer. The murder occurred a day after the Libertadores final between Palmeiras and Santos. Leonardo is a Corinthians fan and Érica was a Palmeiras fan. According to the prosecution, during the argument, the businessman stabbed his wife eight times: three in the chest, four in the back, and one in the leg.
Érica, 34, was found dead on the kitchen floor. Leonardo was also injured at the scene. He presented different versions of the crime. Initially, he claimed his wife attacked him and then committed suicide. Later, he admitted to the stabbings but claimed self-defense.
Attorney Epaminondas Gomes, who represented the victim's family, classified the self-defense argument as absurd. The jury recognized the crime as feminicide.
