‎Brazil News

 

Marielle Case: Ronnie Queiroz are sentenced to 78 and 59 years in prison

Justice is slow, it is blind, it is stupid,  arrives, said the judge.

From the Editors

 

Friday, November 1, 2024

 

Updated at 07:30

 

To share

 

The 4th Jury Court of Rio de Janeiro convicted, this Thursday, the 31st, former military police officers Ronnie de Queiroz for the murders of councilwoman Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Gomes was sentenced to 78 years, 9 months and 30 days in prison, while  received a sentence of 59 years, 8 months and 10 days. In addition to the custodial sentences, the defendants were sentenced to pay a monthly pension to Anderson's son, Arthur, until he turns 24, and to compensate each of the victims involved - including Marielle's daughter, Luyara Santos, and her mother, Marinete da Silva - in R$ 706 thousand for moral damages.

 

 

 

Rio Jury Court convicts Ronnie and Élcio of murdering Marielle and Anderson. (Image: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil)

The decision concludes another stage of a process marked by a complex investigation since the attack that occurred on March 14, 2018, when Marielle, after participating in an event in Lapa, was returning home. The vehicle was targeted by shots, killing the councilwoman and her driver and injuring her advisor Fernanda Chaves, who survived the attack. The jury found Lessa and Queiroz guilty of crimes of double homicide with three aggravated causes (vile motive, ambush and means that hindered the defense of the victims), attempted murder against Chaves and receiving stolen goods from the vehicle used in the crime.

 

During the trial, the Rio de Janeiro Public Prosecutor's Office highlighted that the crime had political and financial motivations, emphasizing that Ronnie and Élcio had accepted the job to eliminate Marielle due to their legislative work and political activities. According to the Rio de Janeiro Public Prosecutor's Office, Ronnie Lessa, who allegedly carried out the shooting, began planning the crime in 2017, conducting internet searches about the councilwoman and methods of execution without tracking. The Prosecutor's Office presented evidence that, in addition to investigating Marielle's routine, Lessa and Queiroz sought information about other politicians associated with her.

 

The trial was led by public defender Daniele Silva, who brought up the racial aspect of the crime, pointing out that Marielle, a black woman from a marginalized community, represented a figure of resistance and confrontation against political and social structures. The jury, made up of seven white men, did not include black women - a fact mentioned by the prosecution as a possible limitation of representation. However, the MP/RJ argued that the decision should be based on the jurors' values ​​and commitment to justice.

 

In her ruling, Judge Lúcia Glioche emphasized that justice, although often slow and imperfect, reaches the guilty. She also highlighted that the conviction of Lessa and Queiroz represents an institutional response to those who believed that the crime would go unpunished.

 

"Justice is sometimes slow, blind, stupid, unfair, wrong, and crooked. But it arrives. Even for the accused who think they will never be hit. Justice reaches the guilty and takes away their most important possession, after life, which is freedom."

 

The case is also being brought to the Supreme Federal Court, where a parallel process is trying possible masterminds of the crime, including Chiquinho and Domingos Brazão - respectively, a member of the Rio de Janeiro State Court of Auditors and a federal deputy. The former head of the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police, delegate Rivaldo Barbosa, is also accused of having obstructed the investigation. Others involved, such as Major Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira and Domingos Brazão's former advisor, Robson Calixto, are also facing legal action for supporting the execution of the crime.

 

Prosecutor Eduardo Morais, who worked on the case, announced that the Public Prosecutor's Office will review the sentence to assess a possible discrepancy between Ronnie's and Élcio's sentences, with a difference of almost 20 years between the convictions. If there is grounds for this, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rio de Janeiro may appeal the decision to standardize the penalties imposed.

 

With information from TJ/RJ and Brasil.

 

 link: https://www.migalhas.com.br/quentes/419162/ronnie-lessa-e-elcio-queiroz-sao-condenados-a-78-e-59-anos-de-prisao