"Marcelo was killed because of political intolerance," says Pâmela Suellen Silva.

247 - Pâmela Suellen Silva, widow of Marcelo Arruda, gave a moving testimony to reporter Joaquim de Carvalho during the Boa Noite 247 program, recounting the details of the trial of Jorge Guaranho, her husband's murderer. The trial, held in Curitiba, was marked by moments of great emotion and tension, especially during Pâmela's lengthy testimony, in which she could not hold back her tears as she relived the traumatic moments of the tragedy.

"It's been very complicated. It's like everything is happening again," lamented Pâmela, recalling the numerous times the images of the murder were shown during the trial. She emphasized that Guaranho's defense is trying to create a "smokescreen," focusing on details that, according to her, divert attention from what really happened that night. "They are exhaustively trying to focus on specific moments and ignore the whole thing."

The most painful moment

During the trial, images of Marcelo being shot were shown repeatedly, causing deep pain to the family members present. Marcelo's eldest son, Leonardo, had to leave during his mother's testimony, stating: "It's as if my father is being killed a second time."

The prosecutor in the case, who is also a mother, asked a question that deeply affected Pâmela: what was it like raising her son Pedro, who was only 40 days old at the time of the crime, while grieving? "I couldn't take any medication to relieve the pain because I was breastfeeding. It was the only food my son had," she recounted. Pâmela also said that, due to her sadness and difficulty feeding herself, her milk became insufficient for Pedro, and even today he rejects milk-based foods, which she believes is related to the trauma of that period.

Psychological effects on children

Pedro, the youngest son, was present at the time of the shooting. Although he was just a baby, Pâmela observes traces of anxiety and fear in him even today. "He panics when there's the sound of fireworks. He puts his hands over his ears and becomes desperate," she revealed, highlighting the need for psychological support to better understand these reflexes.

The eldest daughter, Helena, also suffered deeply. "She didn't want to leave the house anymore. She would panic every time I needed to go out. She would cry, throw herself on the floor and scream: 'You're not going, you're staying here.'" After two years of therapy, Helena began to overcome the trauma, but needed to return to treatment after a difficult episode at school.

"Apologies don't erase a crime."

In an interview published by Gazeta do Povo, Jorge Guaranho apologized to Marcelo Arruda's family. When questioned about the apology, Pâmela responded firmly: "An apology is something you do when you make a mistake and try to fix it. Now, apologizing after killing someone? That's unacceptable."

During the trial, Guaranho's defense argued self-defense, which was harshly criticized by Pâmela. "He arrived already armed, while we were unarmed, with sheer audacity and courage. It's a desperate argument that completely disregards the invasion and the initial drawing of the weapon by him."

A hate crime

According to the prosecution, the murder was motivated by political intolerance. Witnesses heard during the trial confirmed that Guaranho shouted phrases like "This is Bolsonaro territory!" shortly before shooting Marcelo. The security guard who witnessed the scene described Guaranho speeding away in his car and, immediately afterwards, hearing the gunshots and screams of horror.

Pamela concluded the interview by thanking everyone for their support and emphasizing the importance of exposing this violence so that intolerance can be eliminated from national politics. "Marcelo lived for a cause. I'm sure he would want all of this to be shown so that this atrocity never happens again." Watch: