Marielle Franco Case: Police Serve Five More Arrest Warrants

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – One of the warrants is being served against retired police officer Ronnie Lessa, who is accused of taking part in the murders.

The other targets are Ronnie’s wife, Elaine Lessa, his brother-in-law, Bruno Figueiredo, Márcio Montavano and Josinaldo Freitas. They are charged with obstruction of justice, gun possession, and criminal association.

According to the Civil Police, the group allegedly concealed the guns used by Ronnie’s group, among them a submachine gun HK MP5, which was allegedly used to kill Marielle and Anderson.

According to investigations by the police homicide division (DH), in March this year, two days after the arrests of Ronnie and former police officer Élcio de Queiroz, the other person accused of killing Marielle and Anderson, the group allegedly disposed of the weapons at sea.

Under Elaine Lessa’s command, according to the police, the weapons were disposed of near the Tijucas Islands, near Barra da Tijuca.

According to the DH, Montavano removed a box containing weapons from an apartment in the Pechincha neighborhood in western Rio de Janeiro and took it to Freitas, who had hired a taxi driver to carry it to the breakwater, where a boat took the material out to sea for disposal.

Bruno Figueiredo is charged with helping Montavano execute the plan. With the help of divers from the Fire Department and the Navy, searches were carried out on the spot, but nothing was found. The depth and the murky waters hindered the task, according to the Civil Police.

Source: Agência Brasil

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