STJ upholds detention of man accused of ordering lawyer's murder in Cuiabá

The Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) has unanimously rejected an appeal to overturn the preventive detention of farmer César Jorge Sechi. Sechi is accused of being the intellectual author and financial coordinator behind the murder of lawyer Renato Gomes Nery.

Nery was shot and killed on July 5, 2024, in front of his office in Cuiabá. Prosecutors allege the homicide was ordered due to a legal dispute involving land ownership. The investigation suggests a criminal structure involving a division of tasks between command, mediation, execution, and obstruction, with the alleged involvement of public security agents.

Relator Minister Reynaldo Soares da Fonseca stated that the detention is supported by concrete evidence, including testimonies and references to a payment note related to the assassination. The defense argued that the case should be treated as a simple conspiracy to commit murder rather than a criminal organization, but the court maintained the arrest.