Murder of Dandara dos Santos

Dandara dos Santos, known as Dandara Kettley, was killed on 15 February 2017 in the Bom Jardim neighborhood of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. The killing did not become publicly known until 16 days later, when two videos of the attack began circulating on social media. One video shows Dandara alone, already injured and bleeding, sitting on a sidewalk and pleading not to be hit again while bystanders incited further violence. A second video shows her being beaten by three men with kicks, slaps, a sandal, and a piece of wood after she was unable to climb into a wheelbarrow due to her injuries. Five men ultimately placed her in the wheelbarrow and moved her to another location, where she was shot twice and struck in the head with a rock, dying of a traumatic brain injury.

The investigation was led by detectives Bruno Ronchi Vieira of the 32nd Police District of Bom Jardim and Arlete Silveira of the Child and Adolescent Police Station. Authorities stated that those involved had been identified before the videos went public, though the case was initially kept from wide publicity to avoid hindering the investigation.

On 30 November 2017, Judge Danielle Pontes de Arruda Pinheiro of the 1st Jury Court of Fortaleza announced that five defendants would face trial for aggravated homicide — with aggravating factors of vile motive, cruelty, and use of means preventing the victim's defense — as well as corruption of minors. A first trial was held on 5–6 April 2018, lasting nearly 15 hours. Four defendants confessed to participating in the assault but denied intent to kill. Sentences were individualized: Francisco José Monteiro de Oliveira Junior received 21 years for shooting Dandara; Jean Victor Silva Oliveira, Rafael Alves da Silva Paiva, and Francisco Gabriel dos Reis each received 16 years for their respective roles in the beating; and Isaías da Silva Camurça received 14 years and 6 months for directing offensive language at Dandara during the attack. This was reportedly the first time a Brazilian court cited transphobia as an aggravating motive in a homicide sentence.

A sixth defendant, Júlio César Braga da Costa, was tried separately on 23 October 2018 after unsuccessfully appealing to avoid a jury trial. He was convicted of aggravated homicide under the same aggravating circumstances and sentenced to 16 years in a closed regime, but was acquitted of the charge of corruption of minors.

The case drew significant public and governmental attention. Ceará Governor Camilo Santana called the killing "repugnant and unacceptable" and directed state security officials to identify and punish those responsible. On 10 March 2017, LGBT rights organizations held a public demonstration in Fortaleza in Dandara's memory, and on 13 September 2017, Ceará instituted a State Day of Combating Transphobia on 15 February, the anniversary of her death. Civil police officer and childhood friend Vitória Holanda later wrote a book about Dandara's life, and in December 2019 artist Rubem Robierb unveiled a memorial sculpture in her honor in Manhattan, later intended for permanent display in Miami.