 On 8 March 2013, he was sentenced to a 22-year jail term for the assault, torture and murder of his former girlfriend and mother of his youngest child.In February 2017, after Fernandes had served just six years and seven months in prison, his lawyers filed a petition of habeas corpus because of the slow processing of an appeal request.The petition was granted by the minister of the STF Marco Aurélio Mello and Bruno was released from jail pending an appeal.