São Paulo Court Sentences Former USP Researcher to 12 Years for Fatal Rape

The 14ª Câmara de Direito Criminal of the Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo (TJ‑SP) reversed a first‑instance acquittal and sentenced former USP researcher Felipe Ramos to 12 years in a closed‑regime prison for raping a student who later died from complications. The 11ª Câmara de Direito Público of the same court upheld a decision that exempts an aviation‑fuel distributor from paying ICMS tax, rejecting a claim of R$ 8.4 million for the 2017‑2019 period on constitutional equality grounds. The Tribunal de Justiça do Tocantins increased a homicide sentence in Dianópolis from 12 to 17½ years, citing the defendant’s aggressive conduct and a video in which he confessed and threatened further violence. The Tribunal de Justiça da Paraíba authorized the reinstatement of a R$ 30 post‑usage fee for João Pessoa’s digital parking zone, finding the fee necessary for the concession’s financial viability. The Tribunal de Justiça do Acre upheld an injunction protecting police delegate Judson Barros Pereira’s religious freedom, barring his assignment to Saturday shifts in accordance with his Seventh‑Day Adventist beliefs. In Roraima, a court ordered the immediate suspension of the website and social‑media accounts of Câmara da Justiça Arbitral de Roraima Ltda., finding the firm misrepresented itself as an official arbitration tribunal and risked consumer deception. The 12ª Câmara de Direito Público of the TJ‑SP confirmed a municipality’s liability for the disappearance of a seized vehicle, applying the administrative‑risk theory and ordering compensation to the owner. A São Paulo court upheld a R$ 100 000 collective‑damages award against a church and its leaders for publicly linking LGBTQIA+ people to pedophilia, also requiring a public retraction.