{"id":27150,"date":"2026-02-25T12:18:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T17:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/brazilian-supreme-court-convicts-5-in-murder-of-rights-activist-marielle-franco\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T12:18:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T17:18:26","slug":"brazilian-supreme-court-convicts-5-in-murder-of-rights-activist-marielle-franco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/brazilian-supreme-court-convicts-5-in-murder-of-rights-activist-marielle-franco\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazilian Supreme Court Convicts 5 in Murder of Rights Activist Marielle Franco"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil’s Supreme Court delivered unanimous guilty verdicts Wednesday against five men connected to the 2018 murder of human rights activist and city councilwoman Marielle Franco, along with her driver Anderson Gomes, in Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>

The four-justice panel determined that former Representative Chiquinho Brazao and his brother Domingos Brazao, who served on Rio de Janeiro state’s audit court, masterminded Franco’s killing to prevent her and her political allies from interfering with their unlawful land acquisition operations.<\/p>

Franco, a 38-year-old Black lesbian progressive politician from Rio’s impoverished neighborhoods, had become a prominent figure in Brazil’s Socialism and Liberty Party. Her assassination sent shockwaves through Rio de Janeiro and triggered national and international condemnation, even in a city accustomed to violent crime.<\/p>

This verdict concludes an eight-year legal battle to hold accountable those responsible for Franco’s high-profile murder in a nation where many homicides remain unsolved.<\/p>

The Brazao siblings, who wielded significant political influence in Rio de Janeiro, accumulated substantial wealth through fraudulent schemes that seized government property in the city’s western districts for private development ventures.<\/p>

The court also found Rivaldo Barbosa, who headed Rio’s police force at the time, guilty of obstructing the investigation. Two additional defendants received convictions for participating in the criminal enterprise. Each of the five men maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings.<\/p>

Franco and Gomes died in a hail of bullets while sitting in her vehicle following a community gathering on March 14, 2018. The gunmen responsible for the shooting, former police officers Ronnie Lessa and Elcio de Queiroz, admitted guilt and received lengthy prison terms.<\/p>

Authorities apprehended the Brazao brothers in 2024 after Lessa identified them as the architects of the double homicide while cooperating with prosecutors under a plea agreement.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brazil’s Supreme Court unanimously convicted five individuals, including two powerful politicians, for orchestrating the 2018 assassination of councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver. The brothers ordered the killing to protect their illegal land-grabbing operation from Franco’s political interference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":27149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1772039906324.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-73U","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26514,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trial-begins-for-suspects-in-murder-of-brazilian-rights-activist-marielle-franco\/","url_meta":{"origin":27150,"position":0},"title":"Trial Begins for Suspects in Murder of Brazilian Rights Activist Marielle Franco","author":"Admin","date":"February 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Brazil's Supreme Court started proceedings Tuesday against five suspects in the 2018 assassination of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco. The human rights advocate became an international symbol after she and her driver were killed in a drive-by shooting.","rel":"","context":"In "World News"","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771958025317.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771958025317.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771958025317.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/news-1771958025317.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49871,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/rio-de-janeiro-leadership-crisis-deepens-as-brazils-high-court-delays-decision\/","url_meta":{"origin":27150,"position":1},"title":"Rio de Janeiro Leadership Crisis Deepens as Brazil’s High Court Delays Decision","author":"Admin","date":"April 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Brazil's Supreme Court has delayed ruling on how Rio de Janeiro state will select its next governor, prolonging a three-week political crisis. 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