Overview
- Former lawmaker Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos were each sentenced to 76 years and three months for double aggravated homicide, criminal organization and the attempted murder of Franco’s aide.
- The court also sentenced three others: ex–police chief Rivaldo Barbosa to 18 years for obstruction and corruption, former military police officer Ronald Paulo Alves Pereira to 56 years, and aide Robson Calixto Fonseca to nine years.
- Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the brothers operated as part of Rio’s militias, finding Franco was targeted because her work threatened illegal land-grab operations.
- Prosecutors relied heavily on corroborated plea-bargain testimony from gunmen Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz, who received 78- and 59-year sentences in 2024.
- The ruling is being hailed as a breakthrough for accountability as UN experts and rights groups press Brazil to tackle militia power and strengthen protections for human-rights defenders.