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Outrage over girl's sentence after she shot best friend, 14, in the face

A teenage girl who killed her best friend by shooting her in the face at point-blank range with her boyfriend's gun in a case that rocked Brazil has been handed a lenient sentence.

The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to a maximum of three years in a socio-educational prison programme to be reviewed every six months. The ruling has been widely condemned by many residents in the area.

The girl, then 15, shot her 14-year-old best friend Isabele Ramos Guimaraes in the face at the perpetrator's upscale family home in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba on June 12 last year.

The incident occurred around 10.30pm in the bathroom.

The victim, Isabele Guimaraes, 14, who was killed by her friend. Source: Newsflash/Australscope
The girl, then 15, shot her 14-year-old best friend Isabele Ramos Guimaraes in the face. Source: Newsflash/Australscope

The shooter told police the gun had fired accidentally, but investigators later determined it was intentional.

The 15-year-old, her family and her 16-year-old boyfriend were keen sharpshooters. Photos show the young girl competing in shooting competitions.

Her family was in the house at the time but her boyfriend had gone home shortly before the incident.

He reportedly left his guns at the property as he had a problem with one of them, which his girlfriend's father, businessman Marcelo, had offered to fix.

Isabele went to her best friend's house almost every day as they lived in the same upscale housing complex. On the day of the crime, she went to bake a lemon pie with her friend.

Despite the pair's friendship, Isabele's mother, Patricia Hellen Guimaraes, revealed that the girls had grown more distant since the suspect started dating her boyfriend in late 2019.

The teen girl who shot Isabele Guimaraes Ramos used to compete in sports shooting. Source: Newsflash/Australscope
Photos show the young girl competing in shooting competitions. Source: Newsflash/Australscope

"Isabele told me that her friend's courtship was toxic because the boy was jealous and manipulative and made her stay away from her friends," the businesswoman told BBC News Brasil last year.

"I can't say if there was any jealousy between the couple and Isabele, but my daughter was very beautiful, intelligent and witty. I can't say what happened that day," she added.

It is unclear if the girls argued moments before the trigger was pulled.

Patricia suspects they may have had a disagreement, a charge which the perpetrator denies.

Isabele Guimaraes seen with her mum. Source: Newsflash/Australscope
Despite the pair's friendship, Isabele's mother, Patricia Hellen Guimaraes, said that the girls had grown more distant since late 2019. Source: Newsflash/Australscope

In the wake of the killing, the shooter’s parents, her boyfriend and her boyfriend's father were also charged with assorted crimes related to the incident.

Despite the lenient sentence, Patricia said: "My daughter's dead, but I'm relieved, certainly, because I've lifted a weight off my shoulders."

Australscope

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