Brazil's Supreme Court to rule in the killing of a Rio councilwoman

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SAO PAULO (AP) — A five-judge panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court will rule Wednesday on the future of the suspects accused of plotting the 2018 killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes, a case that continues to stir emotions in the politically divided nation.

The five men on trial for the killing of the 38-year-old human rights activist-turned-politician are former congressman Chiquinho Brazão; his brother who was a member of a Rio government watchdog, Domingos Brazão; his assistant Robson Calixto Fonseca; police investigator Rivaldo Barbosa and former police officer Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who recently led the coup case that put former President Jair Bolsonaro in prison, will be the first to cast his vote.

Bolsonaro allies and supporters for many years have attacked Franco's legacy and the tributes paid to her since her death in a drive-by shooting.

The trial began Tuesday with deputy Attorney-General Hindenburgo Chateaubriand arguing that all five suspects should be found guilty as charged.

All the suspects have denied any connection with the councilwoman's killing.

The Brazão brothers and assistant Fonseca are charged with forming a criminal organization. Four of the suspects are accused of double murder and one attempted murder. Franco’s press officer survived the attack.

Prosecutors say many of the charges come from plea bargain deals signed with former police officers Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, sentenced in October 2024 for the killings to 78 and 59 years in prison, respectively.

The Brazão brothers were arrested in 2024 as alleged masterminds of the crime. Investigations have linked them to vigilante groups known as militias, which often antagonized Franco.

During his statements in favor of a conviction for all five suspects, prosecutor Chateaubriand said the Brazão brothers led a criminal organization whose primary target was Marcelo Freixo, a politician and current head of Brazil’s government tourism agency, because he interfered with their businesses. Franco worked with Freixo before she was elected councilwoman in 2016.

On Monday, United Nations experts in Geneva called for “justice and remedy for all victims of pervasive systemic racism, structural discrimination and violence in Brazil.”

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