One of the most brutal cases in Blumenau, in the valley of Itajai, this Monday (24th) is one year old. According to civilian police, the murder of 23-year-old Jessica Bullock and her three-month-old son took place in the early morning of Sunday, July 24, 2022. The child’s father, Kelber Enrique Pereira, is accused of killing both.

Kelber Enrique Pereira and Jessica Bullock Married – Photo: Disclosure/ND

The bodies were discovered by the police on the morning of 25 July. After beheading his wife and killing the couple’s youngest son with sophisticated cruelty, Kelber had to leave Santa Catarina, taking with him Jessica’s eldest son, found a few days later in Munhoz (Mingvin) along with the accused’s parents.

The perpetrator, Kelber was arrested on July 26, after solving the crime, in Paulinia (SP). The investigation indicated that the man had to leave for Sao Paulo, heading to the municipality of Bragança Paulista (SP) in the car of the company in which he worked. In Joinville, on the run, he refueled at a gas station and left without paying.

The child was brought to Kelber’s parents in Minas Gerais by strangers, but was eventually sent back to Santa Catarina, where he was under the care of Jessica’s parents. After Kelber was discovered, the Santa Catarina civilian police succeeded in forcing the accused to return to Santa Catarina, where he was held in the Blumenau Regional Prison awaiting trial.

Explosion and call for justice

A year after the barbaric crime, Jessica Bullock’s parents are crying out for justice. Family members have already made statements on various occasions, always asking for a position with the judiciary as a way to most consistently punish the accused. The last manifesto published in the report of the ND+ portal took place in March of this year.

Jessica Bullock’s family demonstrated in front of the Blumenau Forum, March 3, 2023 – Video: Disclosure/ND

“Our heart has been in mourning for a year now, our girl was everything to us, she was very sweet, very dear. It’s been a year since this murder was committed, and we still haven’t cleared up anything. Therefore, we cannot find words to understand why a jury trial has not yet been issued against him. (…) Our daughter is dead and there is nothing we can do,” said Rogerio Bullock, Jessica’s father, in an interview with NDTV.

Jessica’s mother, Marsilia Bullock, said she couldn’t sleep on the night of the anniversary of this celebration, which took place that night on July 23, 2022 at her home. At the party, Kelber admitted that he drank, then used drugs, got into a fight and, in the end, killed his wife and youngest son.

“Very sad. I cried a lot, I cry, and last night I couldn’t sleep. Days go by, but we can’t forget. We’ve always been good to this guy in our house, and he comes in there and does this cruel thing to my family for no reason. He comes and ends my daughter’s dream, he puts an end to our family.”

A year from now, what is the current state of the process?

According to information compiled by ND+ in conjunction with the MPSC (Santa Catarina Prosecutor’s Office), the process in which Kelber is accused of the death of Jessica and her child is in the pre-indictment stage, and the final charges have already been submitted by the Department of Public Administration after the theses put forward by the prosecution and defense.

However, according to the MPSC, there has not yet been a pronunciation verdict determining whether Kelber goes through a jury trial. The court has not yet set a date.

Lawyer Rodolfo Varmeling, who represents Kelber Pereira’s defense in the trial, believes that with the indictment it will be possible to establish what the next steps will be taken. There may be appeals for Kelber’s defense from this decision, although he remains in prison.

“So we are waiting for a pronunciation decision, most likely to see if it will determine whether Kelber goes on the jury or not. If it is passed and submitted to the jury, we will carefully analyze the grounds that were recognized and allowed in the verdict, and we will check the possibility of discussing some appeals in higher courts, ”the lawyer specified.

*Courtesy of reporter Marco Aurelio Junior