Ex-Officers Arrested in Killing of Marielle Franco, Brazilian Politician and Activist
Ex-Officers Arrested in Killing of Marielle Franco, Brazilian Politician and Activist
March 12, 2019
Police officers carried material seized from the home of suspects in the killing of Marielle Franco in Rio de Janeiro.Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press
Police officers carried material seized from the home of suspects in the killing of Marielle Franco in Rio de Janeiro.Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO — Law enforcement officials on Tuesday morning arrested two former police officers suspected of executing a Rio de Janeiro councilwoman — a breakthrough in a brazen political assassination that has haunted Brazilians for nearly a year.
Shortly before dawn, homicide investigators took into custody the two former military police officers, Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz. In a statement, the authorities said Mr. Lessa opened fire on a car in which the councilwoman, Marielle Franco, was riding in downtown Rio on March 14, 2018. Mr. Vieira de Queiroz was driving the vehicle from which Mr. Lessa fired, the authorities said.
The arrests offer the most concrete sign yet that Ms. Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, were targeted by members of a criminal underworld run by former and current law enforcement officials. Allies of Ms. Franco have long suspected that such groups, known as militias, may have targeted the councilwoman in retaliation for her activism against police brutality and her defense of human rights.
In a charging document, prosecutors said the assassination had been planned for months and asserted that the killing had been motivated by Ms. Franco’s work as a lawmaker.
Ronnie Lessa, left, and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of Ms. Franco.Rio De Janeiro Police/EPA, via Shutterstock
Ronnie Lessa, left, and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of Ms. Franco.Rio De Janeiro Police/EPA, via Shutterstock
“It is undeniable that Marielle Francisco da Silva was summarily executed for her political activities and the causes she defended,” prosecutors wrote in a court document, according to the O Globo newspaper. “The barbarity committed the night of March 14, 2018, was an affront to a democratic state guided by the rule of law.”
Ms. Franco, 38, who was raised in the Maré favela of Rio Janeiro, was elected to the City Council in 2016 and was among the rising stars of the leftist Socialism and Liberty Party.
At the time of her killing, she was the sole black woman on the City Council and among the few politicians in the nation who are openly gay. The assassinations set off an outcry at home and abroad and underscored the deepening political polarization in Brazil.
Officials have yet to outline a motive for the killing or identify the person or people who ordered it.
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Wilson Witzel, the governor of Rio de Janeiro, told reporters Tuesday morning that the men in custody may be persuaded to strike a deal with prosecutors in exchange for information that leads authorities to build a case against the masterminds of the crime.
An image of Ms. Franco was projected on a wall at the site of a protest in Rio de Janeiro last year.Leo Correa/Associated Press
An image of Ms. Franco was projected on a wall at the site of a protest in Rio de Janeiro last year.Leo Correa/Associated Press
Tuesday’s arrest was the culmination of the first phase of the inquiry, said Giniton Lages, a senior homicide investigator. He said investigators would serve a total of 34 search warrants in hopes of finding additional evidence.
“I don’t want there to be another case like Marielle and Anderson,” he said during a news conference. “It would be very dangerous to leave this matter unsolved.”
Mr. Lessa was detained at his apartment in a luxury seaside condominium in the Barra de Tijuca neighborhood. The gated compound was home to President Jair Bolsonaro until he moved to the capital early this year.
Mr. Lages called that a meaningless coincidence, saying investigators had not uncovered any link between the alleged assassin and the president. Mr. Bolsonaro’s family have come under scrutiny for their professional and personal ties to suspected militiamen.
“Of all the questions, who ordered the killing is the most important one,” Mônica Benício, Ms. Franco’s longtime partner, said in an interview on Monday. “It has to be answered because this was an affront to our democracy.”
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Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
Arrest of Murder Suspects in Rio Spotlights Bolsonaro Family
By
Bruce Douglas
March 12, 2019, 3:27 PM EDT Updated on March 12, 2019, 5:18 PM EDT
Jair Bolsonaro Photographer: Andre Coelho/Bloomberg
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and his sons were in the spotlight on Tuesday over their ties with two suspected killers, reviving a sense of unease over his administration.
The day started with a police raid on the gated community in Rio de Janeiro where the president lives. One of his neighbors, a former police officer, was arrested for the murder of Marielle Franco. The assassination of Franco, a black legislator and human rights activist, shocked and divided Brazil in the run-up to last year’s violent and bitterly contested elections.
The police officer in charge of the investigation, Giniton Lages, said on Tuesday that the fact the alleged killer lived near the president was "not significant at this time". But in response to a journalist’s question he acknowledged that one of the president’s sons had dated the suspect’s daughter.
In a separate raid in another part of the city, police arrested a second man for the killing of Franco. Brazilian media, including Folha de S. Paulo, subsequently published a photo of this suspect, Elcio Queiroz, in a friendly embrace with the president. They attributed the image to Queiroz’s Facebook account.
Elcio Queiroz poses alongside Jair Bolsonaro, in a Facebook image republished by Folha de S. Paulo.
Facebook via Folha de S. Paulo
The presidential palace did not respond to a request for comment. Speaking to reporters in Brasilia, Bolsonaro played down the importance of the photo, saying he has posed with thousands of police officers.
Tuesday’s episode comes after it emerged earlier this year that the president’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, hired the mother of a fugitive former police officer suspected of involvement in a militia.
— With assistance by Rachel Gamarski
Ex-Officers Arrested in Killing of Marielle Franco, Brazilian Politician and Activist
March 12, 2019
Police officers carried material seized from the home of suspects in the killing of Marielle Franco in Rio de Janeiro.Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press
Police officers carried material seized from the home of suspects in the killing of Marielle Franco in Rio de Janeiro.Silvia Izquierdo/Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO — Law enforcement officials on Tuesday morning arrested two former police officers suspected of executing a Rio de Janeiro councilwoman — a breakthrough in a brazen political assassination that has haunted Brazilians for nearly a year.
Shortly before dawn, homicide investigators took into custody the two former military police officers, Ronnie Lessa and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz. In a statement, the authorities said Mr. Lessa opened fire on a car in which the councilwoman, Marielle Franco, was riding in downtown Rio on March 14, 2018. Mr. Vieira de Queiroz was driving the vehicle from which Mr. Lessa fired, the authorities said.
The arrests offer the most concrete sign yet that Ms. Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, were targeted by members of a criminal underworld run by former and current law enforcement officials. Allies of Ms. Franco have long suspected that such groups, known as militias, may have targeted the councilwoman in retaliation for her activism against police brutality and her defense of human rights.
In a charging document, prosecutors said the assassination had been planned for months and asserted that the killing had been motivated by Ms. Franco’s work as a lawmaker.
Ronnie Lessa, left, and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of Ms. Franco.Rio De Janeiro Police/EPA, via Shutterstock
Ronnie Lessa, left, and Elcio Vieira de Queiroz were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of Ms. Franco.Rio De Janeiro Police/EPA, via Shutterstock
“It is undeniable that Marielle Francisco da Silva was summarily executed for her political activities and the causes she defended,” prosecutors wrote in a court document, according to the O Globo newspaper. “The barbarity committed the night of March 14, 2018, was an affront to a democratic state guided by the rule of law.”
Ms. Franco, 38, who was raised in the Maré favela of Rio Janeiro, was elected to the City Council in 2016 and was among the rising stars of the leftist Socialism and Liberty Party.
At the time of her killing, she was the sole black woman on the City Council and among the few politicians in the nation who are openly gay. The assassinations set off an outcry at home and abroad and underscored the deepening political polarization in Brazil.
Officials have yet to outline a motive for the killing or identify the person or people who ordered it.
Sign up for The Interpreter
Subscribe for original insights, commentary and discussions on the major news stories of the week, from columnists Max Fisher and Amanda Taub.
Wilson Witzel, the governor of Rio de Janeiro, told reporters Tuesday morning that the men in custody may be persuaded to strike a deal with prosecutors in exchange for information that leads authorities to build a case against the masterminds of the crime.
An image of Ms. Franco was projected on a wall at the site of a protest in Rio de Janeiro last year.Leo Correa/Associated Press
An image of Ms. Franco was projected on a wall at the site of a protest in Rio de Janeiro last year.Leo Correa/Associated Press
Tuesday’s arrest was the culmination of the first phase of the inquiry, said Giniton Lages, a senior homicide investigator. He said investigators would serve a total of 34 search warrants in hopes of finding additional evidence.
“I don’t want there to be another case like Marielle and Anderson,” he said during a news conference. “It would be very dangerous to leave this matter unsolved.”
Mr. Lessa was detained at his apartment in a luxury seaside condominium in the Barra de Tijuca neighborhood. The gated compound was home to President Jair Bolsonaro until he moved to the capital early this year.
Mr. Lages called that a meaningless coincidence, saying investigators had not uncovered any link between the alleged assassin and the president. Mr. Bolsonaro’s family have come under scrutiny for their professional and personal ties to suspected militiamen.
“Of all the questions, who ordered the killing is the most important one,” Mônica Benício, Ms. Franco’s longtime partner, said in an interview on Monday. “It has to be answered because this was an affront to our democracy.”
******************
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
Arrest of Murder Suspects in Rio Spotlights Bolsonaro Family
By
Bruce Douglas
March 12, 2019, 3:27 PM EDT Updated on March 12, 2019, 5:18 PM EDT
-
Two men arrested on Tuesday for killing of Marielle Franco -
Black, leftwing lawmaker Franco was assassinated one year ago
Jair Bolsonaro Photographer: Andre Coelho/Bloomberg
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and his sons were in the spotlight on Tuesday over their ties with two suspected killers, reviving a sense of unease over his administration.
The day started with a police raid on the gated community in Rio de Janeiro where the president lives. One of his neighbors, a former police officer, was arrested for the murder of Marielle Franco. The assassination of Franco, a black legislator and human rights activist, shocked and divided Brazil in the run-up to last year’s violent and bitterly contested elections.
The police officer in charge of the investigation, Giniton Lages, said on Tuesday that the fact the alleged killer lived near the president was "not significant at this time". But in response to a journalist’s question he acknowledged that one of the president’s sons had dated the suspect’s daughter.
In a separate raid in another part of the city, police arrested a second man for the killing of Franco. Brazilian media, including Folha de S. Paulo, subsequently published a photo of this suspect, Elcio Queiroz, in a friendly embrace with the president. They attributed the image to Queiroz’s Facebook account.
Elcio Queiroz poses alongside Jair Bolsonaro, in a Facebook image republished by Folha de S. Paulo.
Facebook via Folha de S. Paulo
The presidential palace did not respond to a request for comment. Speaking to reporters in Brasilia, Bolsonaro played down the importance of the photo, saying he has posed with thousands of police officers.
Tuesday’s episode comes after it emerged earlier this year that the president’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, hired the mother of a fugitive former police officer suspected of involvement in a militia.
— With assistance by Rachel Gamarski
