Rio de Janeiro court upholds arrest of those accused of Marielle's death

Brazil Agency - The 4th Criminal Court of the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice denied an appeal by the defense and upheld the preventive detentions of retired Military Police Sergeant Ronnie Lessa and former Military Police officer Élcio Queiroz, accused of the murder of councilwoman Marielle Franco and driver Anderson Gomes on March 14, 2018, in the Estácio neighborhood, in the central region of the city.

Also in the car was an aide to Marielle, who was unharmed, without being hit by any bullets. The councilwoman was shot four times in the head, and the driver was shot three times. The weapon used in the crime was a German-made HK MP5 submachine gun.

Judge Gustavo Gomes Kalil granted the request from the state Public Prosecutor's Office, which opposed the request from Ronnie Lessa and Élcio Queiroz's defense attorneys, who claimed that the trial had been delayed too long. However, the judge ruled that the delay was due to "successive appeals against the indictment."

On November 20 of last year, the judge had already denied a request from the defendants' defense for the same reason, saying that the successive defense appeals were the cause of the delay in concluding the case.