Brazil judge gives long sentences to two former police officers for…

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A judge handed down long sentences Thursday to two former police officers for the 2018 killing of Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco, an icon of Brazil’ s political left whose murder sparked outrage.

Ronnie Lessa and Élcio de Queiroz were sentenced to nearly 79 and nearly 60 years, respectively, for the March 14, 2018 drive-by shooting that killed Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes. Jurors found that Lessa fired the gun and that De Queiroz was the helmsman the night of the crime.

Lessa and de Queiroz, arrested in 2019, previously signed plea agreements admitting their roles, but the jury had the final say on their guilt on murder and other charges. The verdict, while expected, comes as a measure of comfort to many who saw the martyrdom of the black, bisexual woman as an attack on democracy and worried that the crime would go unpunished.

Prosecutors had argued that each man should be sentenced to the maximum possible 84 years for the three charges: double murder, attempted murder and driving a cloned vehicle.

When Judge Lucia Glioche read the verdict, the room erupted in applause as the victims’ families began to cry. Marielle’s sister, Anielle Franco, Brazil’s minister for racial equality, held a long, tearful embrace with her parents and Marielle’s daughter, Luyara Franco. Her father rested his head on the chest of former congressman Marcelo Freixo, who was her political mentor.

Brazilian law does not allow life imprisonment, and each man will serve no more than 30 years of his sentence. Due to their sealed plea deals, local media have reported that Queiroz and Lessa could serve 12 and 18 years in prison, respectively, including time already served. Prosecutors have denied that their sentences would be reduced.

Either way, Thursday’s conviction is seen as just a step toward justice, with a trial yet to come for the men accused of ordering her murder. They will also have to pay 706,000 reais ($122,000) in moral damages to several relatives of the victims and provide an allowance to Gomes’ young son until he turns 24, according to a statement on the court’s website.

Commonly known by her first name, Marielle, she grew up in one of the Rio’s poor communities, known as favelas. She became known for her efforts to improve the lives of ordinary residents. After her election in 2016, she fought against violence against women while defending human rights and social programs.

Testimony Wednesday during the first day of the trial offered details about the moments leading up to and after the shooting. Franco’s assistant and friend who was also in the car, Fernanda Chaves, was among those who gave evidence, as were Franco’s mother and her partner Mônica Benício.

Benício was choked up and often unable to speak, saying the last thing Marielle ever said to her was “I love you.”

“We had plans to get married with a wedding party. When Marielle died, I felt they took away our promise for the future,” she said, later adding that the right to a just city was one of Marielle’s causes.

“Marielle also defended the right to decent housing from the perspective of the favela, the periphery, this was the theme of the city’s rights agenda.”

Both suspects participated in the trial via video conference from prison. Lessa is in Sao Paulo, while Queiroz is in the Brazilian capital Brasilia.

Federal authorities began investigating the case seriously when left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came to power in 2023.

With Lessa and de Queiroz convicted, attention will now turn to the men accused of ordering the murder: two brothers with alleged links to criminal groups known as militias, which illegally charge residents for various services, including protection.

Guilhermo Catramby, a federal police investigator, told the court Wednesday that the killing was “undoubtedly” motivated by Marielle’s work in land rights, especially in the west side of Rio de Janeiro. Her work there was “a thorn in the side of militia interests,” Catramby said.

In March, The Federal Police have arrested the two brothers, Federal MP Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos Brazãoa member of the Rio state accounts watchdog. They have denied any involvement in the killing or with militias and have yet to appear in court.

In his plea, Lessa told police that the political brothers had hired him and told him that the then head of the state’s civilian police, Rivaldo Barbosa, had signed in advance. Barbosa, who also denies any involvement, was arrested in March.

Marielle’s family and Ágatha Arnaus, Gomes’ widow, spoke to journalists after the trial. Hand in hand, they said that while the conviction offered some reparation after years of struggle and pain, it was only the first step on a long journey toward justice.

“I wanted my mother here, but today will certainly go down in the history of this country,” said Luyara, the councilor’s daughter, as she held back tears.

“If the justice system had not convicted these two brutal murderers, we would not have had a moment of peace. But it doesn’t end here,” says Antonio Francisco da Silva, Marielle’s father. ‘There are people who ordered this crime. The question now is: when will those who ordered it be judged?”

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Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo.