Five years after the death of João Alberto Freitas, known as Beto Freitas, beaten by security guards in a Carrefour supermarket in Porto Alegre, the trial of the defendants still lacks a set date. The incident, occurring on the eve of Black Consciousness Day, sparked protests against racism in Brazil. The Public Prosecutor's Office appealed to the STJ to reinstate the qualifier of vile motive, but the decision remains pending.
On November 19, 2020, João Alberto Freitas, known as Beto Freitas, was assaulted during an approach in the parking lot of a Carrefour store in northern Porto Alegre. He died on site from indirect suffocation after violent thoracic compression for about four minutes, in front of 15 people prevented from intervening. The death, on the eve of Black Consciousness Day, triggered a wave of protests against racism in the country.
Six people were charged by the Rio Grande do Sul Public Prosecutor's Office with doubly qualified homicide, for cruel means and a resource that hindered the victim's defense: security guards Giovane Gaspar da Silva and Magno Braz Borges, team leader Adriana Alves Dutra, and Kleiton Silva Santos, Rafael Rezende, and Paulo Francisco da Silva. All are responding at liberty. Giovane and Magno were preventively arrested one day after the incident, and Adriana in house arrest due to illness; they were released in December 2024 for excessive duration.
The defenses deny intent to kill or racist motivation, claiming self-defense or following orders. Adriana seeks reclassification to culpable homicide. Witnesses were heard in 2021, defendants interrogated from May to June 2022, and the case was sent to jury in November 2022, confirmed in December 2023.
In July 2024, the Rio Grande do Sul court removed the vile motive qualifier at the defense's request. The MP appealed to the STJ in August 2024, arguing that Beto's racial prejudice and economic vulnerability justify it. Prosecutor Flávia Raphael Mallmann stated: "There was a vigilance... regarding black people, poorly dressed people, as if it were a preventive action". The STJ has not yet ruled, with proceedings under secrecy of justice.
Carrefour signed a Conduct Adjustment Agreement in June 2021, allocating R$ 115 million to reparations, including R$ 68 million for 883 scholarships for black academics. The company implemented annual racial literacy training, bodycams, and anti-racism clauses in contracts, stating the episode "definitively transformed the company".