Court in Brazil grants bail to defendants in deadly nightclub fire
When Brazilian judges announced their
decision to grant bail to the defendants in a
nightclub fire that killed 242 people, a woman in
the courtroom let out a yell.
Her son died when a botched pyrotechnic display
set concertgoers ablaze at the Kiss nightclub in
Santa Maria in January.
For loved ones attending the hearing, it appeared
those responsible for the deaths were getting off
scot-free. Anger and disappointment at the
decision spread Wednesday.
Adherbal Alves Ferreira also lost a family member
in the blaze. He heads an association that
represents the loved ones of victims.
"Our hope has gone down the drain," he told
Record TV. "It's as if our children were worth
nothing."
Getting bail
The four defendants, club owners
Elissandro Spohr and Mauro Hoffman,
vocalist Marcelo de Jesus dos Santos, and
show producer Luciano Bonilha, face
charges of multiple homicides and
attempted homicides.
Dos Santos' band is accused of using pyrotechnics
that it knew were for outdoor use to save money,
prosecutors said. The club owners are accused of
allowing an overcrowded, dangerous environment
that added to the deadly outcome.
Dos Santos' attorney filed a motion to revoke the
arrests, saying that they had been made to help
calm the sentiments of the population, a common
practice in Brazil, according to a statement by the
Court of Rio Grande do Sul.
The court agreed that "the general commotion of
the community" had died down and that it no
longer provided enough justification to keep the
defendants behind bars.
Ferreira disagrees.
"We are doing a perfect job so far, trying to help
the victims cope," he said. But now he expects
emotions to erupt again in Santa Maria.
Harrowing stories emerge from nightclub's ashes
The judges also noted that the defendants had not
killed the club guests intentionally.
"The court did not see in the defendants elements
of cruelty, or absolute disregard for human life that
are often found in other murder cases and several
crimes," the statement said.
Fire trap
The nightclub was filled to double its legal capacity
with the crowd of 2,000 people, who came to hear
the band Gurizada Fandangueira play in January.
When the fire raged, the crowd broke into a
stampede, and clogged the club's only exit.
The town's residents, hearing tortured screams
emanating from the club, tried in vain to tear down
its walls to free victims inside.
When the blaze was extinguished, rescuers found
an array of charred bodies scattered throughout
wreckage created by the panic of clubgoers trapped
in the inferno.
Then followed more than 200 funerals. Dozens of
mostly young people were laid to rest each day.
Mothers, siblings and former classmates wept and
cried out for justice during town marches.
decision to grant bail to the defendants in a
nightclub fire that killed 242 people, a woman in
the courtroom let out a yell.
Her son died when a botched pyrotechnic display
set concertgoers ablaze at the Kiss nightclub in
Santa Maria in January.
For loved ones attending the hearing, it appeared
those responsible for the deaths were getting off
scot-free. Anger and disappointment at the
decision spread Wednesday.
Adherbal Alves Ferreira also lost a family member
in the blaze. He heads an association that
represents the loved ones of victims.
"Our hope has gone down the drain," he told
Record TV. "It's as if our children were worth
nothing."
Getting bail
The four defendants, club owners
Elissandro Spohr and Mauro Hoffman,
vocalist Marcelo de Jesus dos Santos, and
show producer Luciano Bonilha, face
charges of multiple homicides and
attempted homicides.
Dos Santos' band is accused of using pyrotechnics
that it knew were for outdoor use to save money,
prosecutors said. The club owners are accused of
allowing an overcrowded, dangerous environment
that added to the deadly outcome.
Dos Santos' attorney filed a motion to revoke the
arrests, saying that they had been made to help
calm the sentiments of the population, a common
practice in Brazil, according to a statement by the
Court of Rio Grande do Sul.
The court agreed that "the general commotion of
the community" had died down and that it no
longer provided enough justification to keep the
defendants behind bars.
Ferreira disagrees.
"We are doing a perfect job so far, trying to help
the victims cope," he said. But now he expects
emotions to erupt again in Santa Maria.
Harrowing stories emerge from nightclub's ashes
The judges also noted that the defendants had not
killed the club guests intentionally.
"The court did not see in the defendants elements
of cruelty, or absolute disregard for human life that
are often found in other murder cases and several
crimes," the statement said.
Fire trap
The nightclub was filled to double its legal capacity
with the crowd of 2,000 people, who came to hear
the band Gurizada Fandangueira play in January.
When the fire raged, the crowd broke into a
stampede, and clogged the club's only exit.
The town's residents, hearing tortured screams
emanating from the club, tried in vain to tear down
its walls to free victims inside.
When the blaze was extinguished, rescuers found
an array of charred bodies scattered throughout
wreckage created by the panic of clubgoers trapped
in the inferno.
Then followed more than 200 funerals. Dozens of
mostly young people were laid to rest each day.
Mothers, siblings and former classmates wept and
cried out for justice during town marches.
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