Former military police officer Élcio Queiroz entered a plea bargain in which he admitted having participated in the murder of Marielle Franco, a councilor in Rio de Janeiro, and of the driver Anderson Gomes, on March 14, 2018. Arrested since 2019, he confessed to driving the used car that night.
Élcio confirmed that fellow former Military Police Officer Ronnie Lessa, in the back seat, fired the shots. Both await a date for the trial by jury.
According to the whistleblower, former firefighter Maxwell Simões Corrêa acted in the planning of the crime and in the protection of those involved.
Known as Suel, the third suspect was arrested by the Federal Police. His defense stated that he will only make comments after reading the lawsuit.
In his testimony, Élcio said that the person who invited Lessa to take part in the murder was military police officer Edimilson Macalé, shot dead in 2021.
Macalé appears in the final report of the CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) of the Rio de Janeiro's Assembly that investigated militias in the state, in 2008.
According to Minister Flávio Dino (Justice), the new evidence indicates "strong links" with militiamen. The mastermind, however, remains unknown.
Translated by Cassy Dias