“Justice is sometimes slow, blind (…) but it arrives,” said judge Lucia Glioche, reading the sentences decided for this double homicide by a popular jury, at the end of two days of hearing.
At this announcement, parents and relatives of the victims present in court embraced each other and burst into tears, including Marielle Franco's sister, Anielle Franco, Minister of Racial Equality in the government of left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“We will continue the fight (…) to put an end to what murdered Marielle and Anderson, which is this political violence,” reacted to the press Monica Benicio, who was the partner of the local elected official. “Because she was a black woman, from a favela, her killers thought her body was disposable.”
A reduced sentence thanks to collaboration with justice
Ronnie Lessa had confessed to shooting at Marielle Franco's car with a machine gun from a vehicle driven by Elcio Queiroz, who also confessed. The first was sentenced to 78 years and nine months and his accomplice to 59 years and eight months. The prosecution had requested the maximum sentence for each, i.e. 84 years of imprisonment.
Both tried for homicides and participating by videoconference from their prison, these former members of the Rio military police had entered into a guilty plea agreement during the investigation.
Their effective sentence will be reduced, due to this collaboration with the justice system, the clauses of which are confidential, judicial sources explained to AFP. According to the G1 news site, Ronnie Lessa will have to serve 13 years and his sidekick seven years, which will be added to the years in prison served since 2019.
The attack had a great impact, in Brazil and beyond, and shed harsh light on the power of organized crime in Rio. Quickly, attention turned to organized crime and the possible involvement of militias. These para-police groups are sowing terror in Rio and grabbing land to illegally build a real estate fortune.
Marielle Franco stood against militia action and campaigned against police violence.
The assassin's regrets, which do not convince everyone
Ronnie Lessa assured Wednesday that he was “blinded” and “driven crazy” by the sum of several million dollars offered to commit the crime.
“I want to take this opportunity and, with absolute sincerity and regret, ask forgiveness from the families of Anderson and Marielle and (…) from all of society for the evil actions that led us here,” he declared.
Prosecutors questioned the sincerity of his repentance. “They decided to kill for profit,” said prosecutor Fabio Vieira on Thursday, who accused the assassins of “sociopaths” without regret.
According to the public prosecutor, the shooter and the driver had denied the facts to investigators before being confused by the evidence of their involvement and then sought an exit by collaborating with the justice system.
“It is not yet the end because the sponsors remain,” however, underlined Antonio Silva, father of Marielle Franco. Arrested last March after being incriminated by Ronnie Lessa, the deputy Chiquinho Brazao and his brother Domingos Brazao, advisor to the Court of Auditors of Rio, were heard last week by the Supreme Court, just like the former head of the city civil police, Rivaldo Barbosa. The two brothers, linked to the militias according to the killer, denied any involvement, as did the police officer, accused of obstructing the investigation. The instruction continues.
