Eight years after the assassination of Marielle Franco, icon of the black and LGBT+ cause of Rio, the Supreme Court of Brazil on Wednesday convicted former federal deputy Chiquinho Brazao and his brother Domingos, a former regional deputy of Rio, for having ordered the crime.
Published on: 02/25/2026 - 5:01 p.m. Modified on: 02/25/2026 - 5:54 p.m.
Two political leaders found guilty, eight years after this crime which shocked Brazil. The Supreme Court on Wednesday, February 25, condemned the sponsors of the assassination of Marielle Franco, a left-wing figure, black and LGBT+ activist, killed in March 2018 in the center of Rio de Janeiro, including two politicians.
The four judges on the Supreme Court panel concluded that former federal deputy Chiquinho Brazao and his brother Domingos Brazao, a former regional deputy from Rio, ordered the murder.
According to the prosecution, Marielle Franco opposed, within the municipal council, proposals defended by the two brothers facilitating the grabbing of land by militias who sow terror in Rio.
Also read Prisons, birthplaces of Brazil's two most influential gangs
Already sentenced in 2024, the shooter and his driver received heavy sentences.
An execution in the city center
In 2018, Marielle Franco is 38 years old. She is a municipal councilor in Rio de Janeiro under the label of the Party of Socialism and Freedom (PSOL, left). Herself from one of the largest favelas in the city and one of the most violent, located in the north of the city, the left-wing elected official ardently defends the rights of residents of poor neighborhoods, in particular young black people, women and members of the LGBT+ community.
She tirelessly denounces the parallel power established in Rio de Janeiro by the militias, these armed groups which take control of favelas, often after the drug traffickers are driven out by the police.
Read alsoIn Rio, at least 64 dead in a police operation against drug traffickers
On March 14, 2018, after participating in a rally in favor of black women, the municipal councilor was chased. His car is riddled with bullets. Hit in the head, she died instantly. His driver, Anderson Gomes, also succumbed to his injuries.
The brutality of the attack triggers a shock wave. Thousands of Brazilians are taking to the streets across the country to demand justice. Marielle Franco's name becomes a symbol of resistance.
Murderers already convicted
In October 2024, a popular jury sentenced shooter Ronnie Lessa to 78 years in prison. His accomplice who drove the car, Elcio Queiroz, was sentenced to 59 years in prison.
During his trial, Ronnie Lessa admitted the facts, claiming to have been "blinded" by the sum of several million dollars offered to commit the crime.
Also read: The anti-drug operation in Rio, war against drug trafficking or political standoff?
Arrested in March 2024, the Brazao brothers have always denied the facts with which they are accused, calling into question in particular the validity of a collaboration agreement entered into by the shooter with the justice system to confess. Ronnie Lessa's confession is a "constructed story", argued Tuesday Marcio Palma, lawyer for Domingos Brazao.
With AFP and Reuters
Keywords associated with the article
The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.
