76 years in prison for alleged masterminds behind Marielle Franco’s murder

Nearly eight years on, Brazil’s highest court has convicted the alleged masterminds behind the killing of Rio councillor Marielle Franco, ruling that the crime was ordered to protect militia-linked land interests.

The Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Wednesday sentenced brothers Domingos Brazão and Chiquinho Brazão to 76 years in prison for ordering the March 2018 murder of Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes, in Rio de Janeiro.

In a unanimous decision, the STF found that the two politicians planned the assassination to safeguard economic interests linked to Rio’s militias. The ruling addresses the central question that has hung over the case for years: who ordered the killing?

Chiquinho Brazão, a former federal deputy, and Domingos Brazão, an adviser to the Rio Court of Auditors, were convicted of homicide and of leading a criminal organisation involved in illegal land exploitation. 

Reporting judge Alexandre de Moraes said the murder was “a direct response to Franco’s political work,” which challenged militia expansion and irregular property deals in poorer districts of the city.

Franco, a councillor for the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), had become a prominent critic of police violence and paramilitary groups composed largely of former and serving security officers. Prosecutors argued that eliminating her would curb opposition to militia control over territory and land.

The STF ordered the defendants to pay seven million reais in compensation to the victims’ families. Justices said the crime carried elements of misogyny and racism, noting that the perpetrators appeared to believe the assassination of a Black woman from a favela background would generate limited repercussions.

Former Rio Civil Police chief Rivaldo Barbosa was sentenced to 18 years in prison for corruption and obstruction of justice. He was acquitted of homicide due to insufficient direct evidence. The STF found that he had received payments from the Brazão brothers and used his position to derail the investigation in its early stages.

Ex-military policeman Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira received a 56-year sentence for carrying out surveillance and tracking Franco’s movements on the night of the attack. Robson Calixto Fonseca was sentenced to nine years for membership of an armed criminal organisation.

The gunman, former military policeman Ronnie Lessa, had already been sentenced in 2024 to 78 years in prison after agreeing to a plea bargain and confessing to carrying out the shooting. His testimony was central to establishing the chain of command. In court, he said he had been “blinded” by the promise of a large payment to carry out the killing.

Franco’s death sparked international outrage and turned her into a symbol of resistance against political violence. Her sister, Anielle Franco, now Brazil’s racial equality minister, attended the session.

The case was heard by the STF because Chiquinho Brazão held federal office at the time charges were brought, granting him privileged jurisdiction. The investigation exposed links between political actors, security forces and organised crime in Rio de Janeiro.

Justice Cármen Lúcia closed her vote by asking: “How many Marielles will Brazil allow to be murdered?”

“The Brazão brothers did not just have contact with the militia. They were the militia,” Moraes said.

Rio’s militias emerged decades ago, initially presenting themselves as self-defence groups against drug gangs. They evolved into criminal organisations controlling territory, extorting residents and profiting from illegal land and service monopolies, often with political protection.

The defence maintained the brothers’ innocence. “Let he who is involved in politics in Rio and has never asked drug-traffickers or militia members for votes cast the first stone,” said Cleber Lopes, lawyer for Chiquinho Brazão.

– TIMES/AFP/PERFIL