Early this morning, Brazil’s federal police launched a joint operation in Rio de Janeiro with the Attorney General’s Office and the Public Ministry to arrest those suspected of having Marielle Franco killed, a Rio councilor murdered on March 14, 2018.
The detainees are politicians Chiquinho and Domingos Brazão and former police chief Rivaldo Barbosa.
The Brazão brothers belong to an influential family in Rio politics, with ties to the militia. Chiquinho is currently a federal deputy and Domingos is an advisor to the State Court of Auditors.
The arrest of both comes after Ronnie Lessa, the author of the 13 shots that killed, in addition to Marielle, also the driver Anderson Gomes.
Imprisoned since 2019, Lessa decided this year to collaborate with justice. The other material author, Élcio Queiroz, who was driving the car from which the shots were fired, had already decided to collaborate last year.
The motivation for the crime, allegedly, was Marielle’s political intervention to prevent the expansion of the Brazão family’s real estate business and other militia members in the west zone of the city.
Rivaldo Barbosa, former head of Rio’s civil police, was arrested because he allegedly tried to hinder the investigations.
Marielle and Anderson were executed on March 14, 2018 after the councilwoman left an event with black women in the center of Rio. Halfway home, Ronnie Lessa, in a car driven by Élcio Queiroz, shot 13 times at the vehicle killing the councilwoman and the driver. Fernanda Chaves, Marielle’s advisor, survived with minor injuries.
Tags: Brazilian police arrest suspects ordering murder Marielle Franco
