Overview

• A Santa Catarina court imposed a 12-year closed-regime sentence, and Jason de Souza Junior remains jailed after his January 1 arrest in Palhoça.
• The assault occurred on December 31, 2024, near the Federal University of Santa Catarina, and Civil Police said he was identified by a belly scar and his beard.
• Police investigators reported the child was forced into a car at gunpoint and that forensic exams confirmed sexual violence.
• Relatives said the girl has received weekly psychological support since the crime and publicly thanked the Military and Civil Police for their work.
• The case proceeds under judicial secrecy, and the defendant’s public profile includes reaching the top five on MasterChef and teaching gastronomy classes.