After Friend's Murder, Teen Pretended to Be Dead to Survive in PG; Case Goes to Trial

The caso Thainá, which gained repercussions in Ponta Grossa after the murder of a 23-year-old girl in October 2024, will have a new trial on September 29, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., in the District Court of Ponta Grossa. This time, the lawsuit involves the attempted murder of Bruna Maria Pasquetto, a friend of the murdered young woman, who was also a victim of assault and managed to survive.

One of the accused is Harion de Lima, who has already been sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder of Thainá Cristina Carneiro do Nascimento. The conviction took place in March of this year, during a trial held at the Ponta Grossa Forum.

The new trial does not represent a review of the previous conviction. The court will examine crimes committed against another victim, although the facts are related to the same case. In addition to Harion, Wyllyan Wolter and Caroline Aparecida Caetano Valentim will also be tried. The three appear as defendants in the lawsuit filed in the court of Ponta Grossa.

The session is confirmed in the official agenda of the September Jury Court and will be presided over by Judge Thiago Bertuol de Oliveira.

Remember the murder of Thainá

Thainá Cristina Carneiro do Nascimento was 23 years old when she was found dead, on October 12, 2024, in a forest area in the Ronda and Estrela neighborhoods, in Ponta Grossa. According to information gathered by the Civil Police during the investigation, the body of the young woman showed signs of violence, mutilation and burns.

The investigation found that the murder occurred between October 9 and 12, 2024. Family members of the victim sought out authorities after the disappearance and reported receiving reports that Thainá had been murdered and buried near the end of Pedro Blageski Street.

Police teams searched the area and located the body in an area of forest near an abandoned building. From the location of the corpse, the Civil Police began an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the death and identify all those involved.

Thainá's friend was assaulted and survived after pretending to be dead

Two days after Thainá’s body was located in the early morning hours of October 14, 2024, another woman was the victim of an attempted murder in the same region of Ponta Grossa. The victim was later identified as Bruna Maria Pasquetto, a friend of Thainá, who was 29 at the time.

According to information released by the Civil Police and published by BnT Online that day, Bruna was beaten and struck with a knife. To escape the attackers, she pretended to be dead and remained at the scene until it was possible to escape. After he managed to escape, he sought help and hid in the residence of residents of the region.

Bruna had injuries caused by stab wounds to her arm and leg. She received assistance from Siate, the Fire Department, and was referred to the Pronto Atendimento (UPA) Santana Unit. Even wounded, the survivor testified in the 13th Police Subdivision of Ponta Grossa, contributing to the investigations into the attempted murder and the murder of Thainá.

Civil police said the suspects in attacking Bruna were the same people involved in the girl’s death.

Suspected cellphone theft would have triggered the attacks

According to the elements gathered in the judicial process, the violence against Thainá and Bruna would be related to the suspected theft of a mobile device. During the investigations, the accused and the victims were linked to a sequence of events involving assaults, threats and restriction of freedom.

According to Bruna’s report to the Civil Police, she was held against her will in a residence and suffered assaults while those involved demanded information about the device.

The victim reported that Harion used a knife, dagger and wire during the assaults. She also claimed that Wyllyan had been threatened and pressured to participate in the attempted murder.

In accordance with the ruling of July 2025, the prosecution maintains that the attempted murder against Bruna occurred to ensure impunity for the murder of Thainá, a crime about which the survivor had information.

The complaint attributes to the two men the use of recourse that made it difficult to defend the victim and the attempted murder related to the impunity of another crime. These circumstances will be examined by the Jury Court during the new trial.

Civil Police arrested the first suspects in October 2024

The attempted murder of Bruna led the Civil Police to intensify the search for those involved. On October 14, 2024, two men were arrested in flagrante for the crimes of attempted murder and drug trafficking. At the time, the delegate Guilherme Fontana, responsible for the investigations, presented information on the diligences carried out by the police teams.

One of the suspects was also being investigated for possible involvement in another murder, which occurred on September 11, 2024, when a man was shot dead in the Ronda neighborhood. The Civil Police continued the investigations to ascertain the relationship between the attempted murder of Bruna and the murder of Thainá, which occurred days earlier.

Operation Praesidium resulted in the arrest of six suspects

The investigation into Thainá’s death continued in the following months. On December 13, 2024, the Civil Police of Ponta Grossa carried out Operation Praesidium, through the Homicide Sector, with the support of the Municipal Guard kennel.

The action resulted in the arrest of four other suspects, bringing to six the number of people arrested during the investigations related to the murder of the young woman. According to the Civil Police, the elements gathered pointed to a possible relationship between crime and drug trafficking. The victim had a relationship with one of the investigators.

The investigation also found that after the murder, Thainá’s body was mutilated and set on fire in an attempt to hide evidence. The name of the operation, Praesidium, means protection in Latin and was chosen in reference to the confrontation of violence against women.

At the time, the Civil Police reported that investigations would continue to clarify the participation of each suspect in the crimes.

Harion sentenced to 24 years in prison for killing Thainá

The murder of Thainá reached the jury in March 2026. The session had been scheduled for the 17th of that month, at the Ponta Grossa District Forum, as previously reported by BnT Online. The lawsuit examined the responsibility of the defendants for the death of the young woman, found in an area of forest in October 2024.

At the end of the trial, Harion de Lima was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder of Thainá and the concealment of the corpse, according to the result released by Banda B.

Wyllyan Wolter, who was also responsible for the young woman's murder, was acquitted at that trial. Wyllyan's acquittal and Harion's conviction relate specifically to the process related to Thainá's death. The trial scheduled for September involves another victim and different charges, which is why the two men will return to the Jury Court.

Why will Harion be tried again?

The case that will be analyzed next September 29 deals with the attempted murder against Bruna Maria Pasquetto, which occurred on October 14, 2024. According to the complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Paraná, Harion de Lima and Wyllyan Wolter are charged with attempted qualified murder, private imprisonment and torture.

Harion also responds to drug trafficking in the same process. Caroline Aparecida Caetano Valentim is charged with private imprisonment and torture, but is not listed as a defendant for the attempted murder of Bruna.

The complaint was received by the Court on November 6, 2024. Then, on July 4, 2025, a ruling ruled that the defendants should be submitted to the Jury Court. In the decision, the court considered that there were sufficient elements for the charges to be examined by the jury.

The pronunciation, however, does not represent condemnation. The criminal responsibility of the accused will be defined during the trial, after the analysis of the evidence and the arguments presented by the prosecution and the defenses.

Defenses challenged the charges

During the proceedings, the defendants presented different versions of the events. Harion de Lima’s defense questioned the existence of sufficient evidence of his participation in the attempted murder of Bruna. It also requested, alternatively, that the charge of attempted murder be declassified for bodily injury.

In relation to drug trafficking, the defense argued that the amount of narcotics seized and the other elements of the process would not be sufficient to prove the commercialization. Wyllyan Wolter's defense presented the thesis that he would have acted under Harion's coercion.

According to the arguments presented, Wyllyan also suffered assaults and threats and was forced to participate in the events. The defense of Caroline Aparecida Caetano Valentim, in turn, asked for her acquittal, alleging insufficient evidence about her participation in the crimes.

The decision to pronounce determined the referral of the accused to the Jury Court so that the evidence, the charges and the defensive theses were analyzed during the trial.

Justice orders escort of defendants and survivor

In preparation for the trial, the Justice of Ponta Grossa issued, on August 24, 2026, an office to the management of the House of Custody of the municipality. The document stipulates the presentation of defendants Harion de Lima and Wyllyan Wolter, by armed escort, to participate in the session of the Jury Court.

The requisition also includes Bruna Maria Pasquetto, identified as a victim in the process. According to the document, the three are expected to be presented for the session scheduled for September 29, at 8:30 a.m., with subsequent return to the unit of origin.

The letter was signed by Judge Luiz Carlos Fortes Bittencourt.

Justice also requested Harion's medical documents

In addition to the measures related to the presentation of the persons involved, the Justice determined the obtaining of medical documents referring to Harion de Lima. In a letter sent to the Custody House of Ponta Grossa, the defendant's full medical records and records of the care performed during the period in which he remains in custody were requested.

The determination also includes information on possible removal of surgical points carried out in the prison unit. Another office was sent to the Regional Hospital of Ponta Grossa, requesting records of hospitalizations, care, examinations and medical procedures.

The document also requests information about an abdominal surgery reported by the accused and any care performed in a period close to the facts described in the complaint. The hospital was given five days to forward the documents, according to the determination issued on August 24, 2026.

The records were requested for procedural instruction purposes. The letters made available do not clarify the specific reasons for the request nor do they present conclusions on the health condition of the accused.

A new trial will take place on September 29.

The trial of Harion de Lima, Wyllyan Wolter and Caroline Aparecida Caetano Valentim is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., at the Ponta Grossa State Justice Forum. The session will be presided over by Judge Thiago Bertuol de Oliveira, according to the official agenda of the Jury Court.

During the trial, the charges related to the crimes committed against Bruna Maria Pasquetto, in addition to the other crimes attributed to the defendants in the trial, will be analyzed. The jury must decide on the responsibility of each accused on the basis of the evidence presented, the testimonies and the arguments of the prosecution and the defenses.

Trio goes to jury in Ponta Grossa for murder linked to prison and diversions, says police

If convicted again, Harion may receive a new sentence for the crimes analyzed in this process, distinct from that already applied by the murder of Thainá. Wyllyan may also be convicted or acquitted of the charges related to Bruna, regardless of her acquittal in the previous trial, because it is another victim and distinct facts.

Caroline's eventual criminal responsibility will also be considered in the new trial.