Four police officers sentenced to over 1,000 years in prison for 2015 killings in Brazil

Four military police officers involved in the 2015 massacre in Fortaleza, Brazil, have been sentenced to a combined total of over a thousand years in prison.

The killings, which occurred as an act of revenge for the death of a military policeman earlier that day, claimed the lives of eleven individuals.

The trial, which lasted five days, concluded with the following prison sentences:

Marcus Vinícius Sousa da Costa: 275 years and 11 months in prison for multiple homicides, attempted homicides, and crimes of physical and psychological torture.

Immediate detention in a closed correctional facility, loss of military police officer status, and no possibility of future freedom.

Antônio José de Abreu Vidal Filho: 275 years and 11 months in prison for multiple murders, attempted murders, and crimes of physical and mental torture.

Confinement in a closed correctional facility, loss of military police officer status, and no possibility of future freedom.

Wellington Veras Chagas: 275 years and 11 months in prison for multiple murders, attempted murders, and crimes of physical and mental torture.

Confinement in a closed correctional facility, loss of military police officer status, and no possibility of future freedom.

Ideraldo Amancio: 275 years and 11 months in prison for multiple murders, attempted murders, and crimes of physical and mental torture.

Confinement in a closed correctional facility, loss of military police officer status, and no possibility of future freedom.

Antônio José de Abreu, who had fled to the United States and deserted from the military police, was interrogated via video call during the trial.

The court will inform the Federal Police of his sentence, initiating the process of his arrest and extradition to Brazil.

The trial, known as the “Chacina do Curió,” included testimonies from witnesses and survivors of the massacre.

One survivor recounted how the victims were forced to kneel against a wall with their hands on their heads before being mercilessly slaughtered.

Sixteen additional defendants are set to be tried in two more phases, scheduled for August 29 and September 12.