One of the two arrested for the murder of the Brazilian councilor and human rights defender Marielle Franco, occurred in Rio de Janeiro in March 2018, confessed his participation in the crime and offered the police new details of the case that could lead to his mastermindswhile today another man accused of having also been involved in the attack was apprehended.
This was announced by the Minister of Justice and Public Security of Brazil, Flavio Dino, who specified that the confession in exchange for prison benefits was formulated by Elcio de Queirozimprisoned since 2019 and accused of driving the vehicle from which Ronnie Lessa, also a prisoner, fired the shots.
As stated by the minister, the details provided by the detainee would help to move forward in relation to the masterminds of the murder: “We are convinced that it will lead the constituents,” he asserted as reflected by the Sputnik news agency.
In addition, today the Federal Police detained a former firefighter -identified as Maxwell Simoes Correa and known as Suel- who, according to Queiroz’s confession, came to make guards to watch over the councilwoman and was going to participate in the ambush, but in the end he was replaced by him.
The investigation into the crime of Marielle Franco gained new momentum after the assumption of Lula
The investigation gained new impetus last February, when the federal police began working on the case, by order of Minister Dino, who assured that this statement “will undoubtedly allow” reaching the mastermind or masterminds of the crime.
Dino explained at a press conference that, in recent weeks, The Federal Police found new evidence that ended up forcing a confession from De Queiroz, which in turn provided more details -not yet disclosed- that will advance the investigation and could allow us to reach the masterminds of the crime.
The councilor of the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL, left) and human rights defender Marielle Franco She was killed with several shots to the head inside the car in which she was traveling through downtown Rio de Janeiro on the night of March 14, 2018. Her driver, Anderson Gomes, also died in the same incident.
Queiroz confirmed that he was driving the vehicle that followed them and that Lessa fired with a submachine gun.
The new detainee in the case for the crime of Marielle Franco
Regarding the new detainee in the case, the Rio de Janeiro Prosecutor’s Office said that he was the owner of the vehicle used to hide the weapons, that they were in an apartment in Lessa and also he would have helped throw the weapon with which the shots that killed the councilwoman and her driver were fired into the sea.
The man had already been arrested in June 2020 precisely for hindering the investigations, and, a year later, he was sentenced to four years in prison, although he was serving a sentence in a semi-open regime. With Queiroz’s new accusations, he was now detained.
The Minister of Justice confirmed that Queiroz, like all those who decide to collaborate with Justice, will receive benefits in exchange for his confession.
However, he assured that he could not give more details and specified that, in any case, the defendant will remain a prisoner in the maximum security prison where he is. Both Queiroz and Lessa have been in prison since 2019 and are awaiting the corresponding trial.
The minister affirmed that with the new information a level of the investigation corresponding to the execution of the crime is closed and that now the authorities will focus on the constituents, promising news in the coming weeks.
Source: Ambito
