Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo is accused of killing BJJ legend Leandro Lo and despite the amount of time that has passed since his death, Velozo’s trial has been delayed again. Lo was shot and killed in a nightclub in Sao Paulo, Brazil back on August 7th, 2022 and almost three years have passed since then without much in the way of updates. The shooting occurred after an argument that escalated into a physical altercation, where Lo reportedly had Velozo restrained. Velozo allegedly shot Lo when he the two men stood back up and despite being rushed to hospital as soon as possible, Lo was declared dead.
Velozo was apprehended quickly but the justice system always moves slowly after that point, and the Lo family is no closer to a conclusion than they were years ago. The trial has suffered setbacks since the very beginning, as even the initial trial just a few months after the shooting was delayed. It seemed as though everything might finally be coming to an end and the family might get justice when the trial date was set for May 22nd, 2025, but now it has been pushed back further. Although no official new date has been set as of yet, an original report by Brazilian combat sports outlet Tatame has suggested that it should be across August 5th and 6th, 2025.
Tatame also spoke to Adriano Salles, the Lo family lawyer, in order for him to explain the reason behind the latest delay (translated from the original Portuguese):
“Some time ago, I think in January or February, he (Velozo’s defense attorney) put together a private report, he hired private experts and paid them to prepare a report about the trajectory of the shot, which is advantageous for him. We also hired them, the judge authorized it, and we also put together a private report, refuting his report. Who has the power to prepare an official report here in Brazil? They are experts from the Criminalistics Institute and the IML,”
“The prosecutor took the report written by him and the report written by us, and asked the IC to clarify. With that, the IC clarified that our report is better than his. The judge, seeing that there is no longer any doubt, because even the IC has already spoken out, what did he do? ‘I no longer need to hear the technical assistants and private experts in the plenary’. He (the lieutenant’s defense attorney) requested an injunction yesterday (Wednesday), around 6 pm, and the court granted it. The loss is his, because it is his client who is in prison”
Although the trial has been delayed, the family and supporters of Leandro Lo can take some comfort in the knowledge that it is approaching the end. Velozo has been indicted on a count of triple-qualified homicide due to the nature of the crime; and if he is found guilty then he would face between 12 and 30 years in prison according to the Code of Criminal Procedure.
