The murderers of councilor Marielle Franco are sentenced to 78 and 59 years in prison

“Justice is sometimes slow, blind, clumsy, but it reaches even those accused who believe they will never be caught,” said the judge.

However, having signed collaboration agreements with the Prosecutor’s Office, The murderers will only serve a maximum of 18 years in a closed regime and the rest, in an open or semi-open regime.

The sentence handed down this Thursday will only be applied in the event that those convicted fail to comply with the agreement.

A crime for hire

During the two days of the trial, the testimony of Lessa was heard, who said he had been commissioned to kill the councilor because was an obstacle to the sale of land linked to the militiasthe paramilitary groups that control areas on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.

In addition, Lessa, in prison since 2019, asked for forgiveness from the victims’ relatives. “with absolute sincerity and regret” and said that with his statement he hoped to “alleviate” the anguish caused after the murder.

However, prosecutor Eduardo Martins questioned the sincerity of that regret and said that The murderers were “sociopaths” that they had confessed only when they were “cornered” by the evidence and that what they expected was to obtain benefits in exchange for collaborating.

On the other hand, the former police officer stated that his intention was not to murder Gomes, the driver of the vehicle in which Franco was traveling, and argued that the gun used was not the “adequate” one.

The Prosecutor’s Office also rejected that explanation, pointing out that Gomes was shot four timesthe same amount as the councilor, and that the murderers sought to prevent being later identified by the driver.

The intellectual authors

Lessa has accused of being the intellectual authors of the murder of federal deputy José ‘Chiquinho’ Brazãohis brother Domingos Brazão, and the former head of the Rio Civil Police Rivaldo Barbosa, who have yet to be tried by the Supreme Court.

Franco, a member of the leftist Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), was shot dead on March 14, 2018, after participating in a political event in the center of Rio.

Woman, black, lesbian and born in a favelaFranco stood out for being an energetic defender of the human rights of those most in need and for fighting the mafia groups that dominate the impoverished communities of the city.

The reaction of Marielle Franco’s family

The family of Rio de Janeiro councilor Marielle Franco This Thursday he celebrated the conviction of his murderersformer police officers Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, as “a significant step in the fight for justice.”

“It was six years, seven months and 17 days until this moment came. We transform mourning into struggle and we do not go a single day without honoring the commitment to tirelessly seek justice,” published the Marielle Franco Institute, founded by the family to defend the councilor’s memory.

Lessa and Queiroz, who already They had confessed to being the authors of the crime that occurred in 2018 After reaching an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office, they were sentenced to 78 and 59 years in prison, respectively, as well as to compensate the victims’ relatives.

At the same time, the Marielle Franco Institute pointed out that this is just “a first step”, since The intellectual authors of the murder have yet to be tried by the Supreme Court of Brazil.

Franco, a member of the leftist Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), was shot dead on March 14, 2018, after participating in a political event in the center of Rio.