Macalé's cell phone was used after his death and raises suspicions in the Marielle case

Power Agenda The cell phone of Edimilson da Silva, known as Macalé, was tampered with after his death, according to a Federal Police report. Macalé, believed to be responsible for brokering the hiring of Ronnie Lessa to execute Councilwoman Marielle Franco, was murdered on November 6, 2021, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro.

The information is contained in the investigation into the murders of Marielle and driver Anderson Gomes, currently underway at the Supreme Federal Court. The Federal Police determined that, after Macalé's death, his cell phone was used to enter contacts and make calls. The crime occurred shortly after noon, when the former military police officer was walking with three bird cages along Avenida Santa Cruz.

The cell phone was seized on the day of the execution, but was only sent for forensic analysis on July 25, 2023, almost two years later. The device was sent to the Federal Police's technical department one day after the arrest of former firefighter Maxwell Simões Corrêa, known as Suel.

The forensic examination found that the phone had two other SIM cards before the current one, suggesting Macalé may have changed phones or numbers frequently. Changes in the data were detected, some attributed to the system's automatic operation, but others linked to active use of the device.

Four contacts were created on the phone after the estimated time of death: Chuck, Marcelo Pres. TNLD, Sheila, and Fábio Cabeça. At 13:01 p.m., two calls were made to Chuck, followed by a location message. The cell phone's location was close to the crime scene. Despite the time, the history shows that Chuck and Macalé had communicated previously.

Another contact, Marcelo Pres. TNLD, called Macalé's number at 13:16 p.m. but was not answered. The call record was deleted. Both were members of a biker group known as Tonelada, and Macalé was a motorcycle enthusiast—he even purchased a Harley Davidson worth nearly R$120 in 2020.

At 13:16:31 PM, the name Sheila was added to the phone's address book. Shortly thereafter, the phone recorded a series of missed calls from her, the records of which were also deleted. The contact Fábio Cabeça was added at 14:52 PM, with call records but no previous conversations identified.

The Federal Police also discovered that Macalé changed his phone number every six months. In recovered messages, he identifies himself as John Macalister. In a conversation with a contact saved as DEL, he wrote: "I really do, every six months I change, I'm awesome. I don't like keeping one number for too long."

In another conversation, Macalé recounts his violent past, mentioning that he "really killed" and claiming he had caused much harm in areas dominated by the Comando Vermelho. According to the Federal Police, he wasn't referring to his work as a police officer, but rather to his involvement with militias, particularly his close relationship with Ronnie Lessa.

In one of these conversations, he says: "We really did kill them, you fucking bums out there, you know them." In another exchange, he responds to provocations about safety in different areas of Rio: "There's no danger there [in Santa Cruz]. Damn it, go to Angra, to Comando Vermelho. I've already done them a lot of harm."

Macalé's online profile, under the name John Macalister, was also used to chat about birds, his declared passion. He participated in bird buying and selling groups and participated in bird competitions. According to the Federal Police, this affinity brought Macalé closer to Federal Representative Chiquinho Brazão, known for honoring bird watchers in Congress.

According to the investigation and Ronnie Lessa's plea bargain, brothers Chiquinho and Domingos Brazão allegedly contacted the confessed killer through Macalé. Both deny involvement in the crime and claim to be unaware of any connection with Macalé or bird-catching groups. Their defenses deny that the meetings with Lessa and Macalé ever took place.

Macalé's actions remain a key piece in the puzzle of who ordered the murder of Marielle Franco and Anderson Gomes. The handling of the cell phone after his death adds another question mark to the case.