Brazil’s Supreme Court opened trial Tuesday of five suspects charged in the 2018 killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco, who died along with her driver Anderson Gomes in a drive-by shooting. Franco, a Black and bisexual politician who was 38 at the time, had defended the human rights of Brazil’s marginalized communities and became a global symbol of resistance to violence against vulnerable populations.
The trial marks a crucial moment in a case that drew international scrutiny, raising questions about accountability for organized crime and political violence in Brazil.
The Defendants
The five defendants are former congressman Chiquinho Brazão, his brother Domingos Brazão (a member of a Rio government watchdog), assistant Robson Calixto Fonseca, police investigator Rivaldo Barbosa, and former police officer Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira. A five-judge panel will rule on the charges.
All five suspects have denied any connection with the killing.
The Prosecution’s Case
Prosecutors say many of the charges come from plea bargain deals signed with former police officers Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, who were sentenced in October 2024 to 78 and 59 years in prison, respectively, for carrying out the killing.
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.
Then-Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski said at the time of the arrests that investigations suggested Chiquinho Brazão was especially upset about a bill Franco sponsored at the city council regarding regulation of land for public housing.
Prosecutors also said the Brazão brothers led a criminal organization whose primary target was leftist politician Marcelo Freixo, current head of Brazil’s government tourism agency, because he interfered with their businesses. Franco had worked with Freixo before she was elected councilwoman.
Defense Challenges and Doubts
Defense attorney Cleber Lopes argued that the prosecution based its case on flawed federal police information derived from testimony of Franco’s shooter and his accomplice driver given in their plea deals. He also argued that a defendant’s alleged involvement with militia groups does not make him guilty in the Franco case.
“People in Rio de Janeiro politics who have never asked drug dealers or vigilantes for their votes may cast the first stone,” Lopes said. “It is not enough to make a generic reference to Brazão’s links to vigilante groups.”
Crime expert Chico Otávio said the investigation largely depends on plea bargain testimonies and that the ruling comes at a moment when Brazil’s top court faces popularity challenges due to other cases.
Otávio cautioned that while a conviction will be presented as a victory against organized crime, the militia groups that could be behind Marielle’s killing remain powerful and are expanding their presence in Rio. “Society will get an answer about her death, but Brazil will continue to be very far from solving its organized crime problem,” he said.
International Significance
United Nations experts in Geneva called Monday for “justice and remedy for all victims of pervasive systemic racism, structural discrimination and violence in Brazil.” They stressed that “it is vital that fairness and transparency are upheld and that full justice prevails” in the Franco case.
Anielle Franco, Marielle’s sister and Brazil’s racial equality minister, said the killing “opened wide a pattern of violence, racism and misogyny in our country.” She emphasized the trial’s importance for democracy: “We believe that the judiciary will act for justice and in favor of our people, making our democracy stronger. We will never stop fighting for every voice that was knocked out.”
The Supreme Court session was adjourned until Wednesday morning, when judges are expected to rule.