Key Facts
- Verdict. A São Paulo jury convicted businessman Fernando Sastre of homicide and set a 17-year, 1-month, 10-day prison term.
- Crash. His Porsche hit a taxi-app car at about 156 km/h (97 mph) in a 50 km/h (31 mph) zone.
- Next. Sastre is convicted, and his defence has announced an appeal to annul the jury trial.
- As of 30 October 2026, 17:10 GMT
A speeding Porsche in the early hours of a Sunday morning has cost one man his life and another 17 years of freedom. On Friday 30 October 2026, a São Paulo jury convicted Fernando Sastre, a businessman aged 24 at the time, of killing a 52-year-old taxi-app driver.
For US readers, this is a jury conviction of a businessman who drove a luxury sports car, and it treats extreme speeding as a possible intentional killing. The jurors found “eventual intent”, known in Portuguese as dolo eventual, meaning he knowingly accepted the risk of killing someone.
What We Know
The verdict was announced early on Friday, after a trial that began on Wednesday 28 October. Seven citizen jurors decided the case at the Barra Funda criminal courthouse in São Paulo.
The jury convicted Sastre of homicide over the death of Ornaldo da Silva Viana, a 52-year-old driver who took passengers booked through a taxi app. It also convicted him of bodily injury to a passenger in the Porsche.
Sastre received 17 years, 1 month and 10 days in prison, to start in closed regime, the strictest form, plus a ban on driving. Qualified homicide, an aggravated form of murder, carries 12 to 30 years under Brazilian law.
The finding of eventual intent means the court treated the killing as intentional homicide, not as an accident. The verdict came 31 months after the crash.
Sastre has been in custody since May 2024. He had asked repeatedly for release.
In court, Sastre confessed. “I could offer a thousand apologies, but there is no justification for what I did,” he told the court, in a translation from Portuguese.
He added that he deeply regretted not having told the truth from the start. He had lied at first.
After the verdict, a son of the victim said: “Justiça foi feita,” which means “Justice has been done.” The defence lawyer, Eugênio Malavasi, said the verdict “manifestly contradicts the evidence”.
Malavasi said the defence will appeal to annul the jury trial. Sastre is therefore convicted, with an appeal announced, and the verdict is not yet final.
How the Crash Unfolded
The crash happened in the early morning of Sunday 31 March 2024 on Avenida Salim Farah Maluf, in the Tatuapé district of east São Paulo. Sastre’s Porsche hit the rear of Viana’s Renault Sandero.
According to Brazilian reports of the case, the Porsche was travelling at about 156 km/h (97 mph) when it hit, in a zone limited to 50 km/h (31 mph). Viana died of head trauma, and a passenger in the Porsche was seriously injured.
After the crash, Sastre left the scene without taking a breathalyzer test. He appeared at a police station about 36 hours later.
A judge later ordered his arrest, and Sastre surrendered in May 2024. He has been in preventive custody, which means detention before a final verdict, ever since.
Courts rejected those requests, at least seven times by March 2025. He was held at Tremembé penitentiary, a prison in São Paulo state.
What Is Not Known
It is not yet known where Sastre will be held now that the trial is over. How long he could actually spend in prison is also unclear.
The outcome and timing of the defence’s appeal are unknown. Nor is it known whether the victim’s family will receive compensation.
The defence has not detailed its appeal beyond saying the verdict contradicts the evidence. Whether a higher court could order a new trial is also unknown.
What It Means for Travelers and US Readers
Brazil’s jury system, used for intentional killings, gives citizens the final say on guilt. Here seven jurors found eventual intent, and the sentence followed.
In this case, a Brazilian jury treated extreme speeding that killed as intentional homicide. For visitors and expats driving in São Paulo, staying well within posted limits is the safe course.
For readers following Brazil’s justice system, the verdict shows a jury holding the driver of a luxury sports car responsible. The defence has said it will appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Fernando Sastre convicted of?
A São Paulo jury convicted him of homicide with eventual intent over the death of taxi-app driver Ornaldo da Silva Viana, plus bodily injury to a passenger. He received 17 years, 1 month and 10 days in prison and a driving ban.
What is dolo eventual?
It is a Brazilian legal concept in which a person does not aim to kill but knowingly accepts the risk of killing. Jurors found Sastre acted this way, so the court treated the case as homicide, not an accident.
How fast was the Porsche travelling?
Brazilian reports of the case put it at about 156 km/h (97 mph) when it hit the rear of a Renault Sandero. The zone had a limit of 50 km/h (31 mph).
Will Sastre appeal?
Defence lawyer Eugênio Malavasi says the verdict “manifestly contradicts the evidence” and the defence will appeal to annul the jury trial. The outcome and timing of any appeal are not yet known.
Sources
Trial proceedings at the São Paulo state court, 28–30 October 2026 · Reporting in Portuguese: report 1 · report 2 · report 3
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This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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