RIO DE JANEIRO — The trial of the alleged murderers of a Rio de Janeiro councilor begins on Wednesday, a murder that shook Brazil and resonated throughout the world.

Protesters began gathering early Wednesday outside the courthouse in downtown Rio, where two former police officers will stand trial for the deaths of councilwoman Marielle Franco, 38, and her driver, Anderson Gomes, on March 14, 2018. Ronnie Lessa is accused of firing the gun in the drive-by shooting, while Élcio Queiroz is accused of being the driver who chased Franco.

Lessa and Queiroz were arrested in 2019 and have since been detained awaiting trial. They signed plea deals confessing their roles, but a jury will have the final say on whether they are guilty.

Known universally by her first name, Marielle stood out as one of the only black women on Rio’s city council. She was also bisexual and grew up in one of Rio’s poor communities known as favelas.

“The moment we have been waiting for for six years has arrived,” the Marielle Franco Institute stated on its website before the trial. The institute was founded by Franco’s family after his death.

“This is a defining moment for all those who fight for justice and for those who believe that Brazil must be a serious country that does not allow women, black people (LGBTQ+) and favela residents to be brutally murdered,” the website said. . .

Technically, jurors could overturn the plea deals federal police reached with Lessa and Queiroz, but analysts say that is unlikely.

The defendants will face interrogations about the double death and also about the attempted murder of Fernanda Chaves, Franco’s assistant, who was injured but survived. Chaves is expected to testify in the coming days.

Prosecutors are seeking the maximum prison sentence for the two murders, which could reach 84 years each, according to the Rio prosecutor’s office.

The assassination of an elected representative was seen by many as an attack on democracy, largely due to Marielle’s humble upbringing and her staunch efforts to improve the lives of ordinary Rio residents. After her election in 2016, she fought against violence against women while defending human rights and social programs. Her assertiveness and mere presence irritated some, but she remained unfazed.

Outrage over his murder sparked mass protests.and has become a symbol of leftist resistance. His silhouette can be found printed on t-shirts and painted on walls across the country. People demanded that his killers be brought to justice, as well as those who ordered the murder.

In September, Edilson Barbosa dos Santos was convicted of dismantling the car used in the drive-by shooting. But many see the trial that begins Wednesday as the first time that some of those primarily responsible for his death will finally be held accountable.

Both defendants will participate in the trial by videoconference from the facilities where they are being held. Lessa is in Sao Paulo while Queiroz is in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. The jury will hear from nine witnesses, seven called by the state prosecutor’s office and two others by Lessa’s defense. Queiroz’s defense chose not to sanction any.

For years, The central questions about the case have remained: Who ordered Marielle’s murder and what were their motives? Those questions became a rallying cry among those crying out for justice.

Federal authorities began investigating once leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2023, having frustrated the far right. President Jair Bolsonaro’s re-election candidacy months before.

And in March, The Federal Police arrested the federal legislator Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos Brazãomember of the Rio state audit body, on suspicion of ordering Franco’s murder. Both are allegedly connected to criminal groups, known as militias, who illegally charge residents for various services, including protection. They have denied any involvement in the murder or with the militias.

In his plea agreement, Lessa told police that the two political brothers hired him and informed him that the state’s then-civil police chief, Rivaldo Barbosa, had signed beforehand. Barbosa was also arrested in March.

The police accuse the politicians of ordering his murder because she was an obstacle to the interests of the militias. The judicial process regarding the alleged masterminds is currently pending before the Supreme Court.