RIO DE JANEIRO – A trial began on Wednesday against two former police officers accused of the 2018 murder of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was black, bisexual and from humble roots and who has become an important icon of the political left of Brazil.

Franco, 38, and his driver, Anderson Gomes, were killed in a drive-by shooting on March 14, 2018. Ronnie Lessa is accused of firing the gun, while Élcio Queiroz is accused of being the driver.

Two brothers with alleged ties to criminal groups, one of them a sitting federal legislator, have been accused of ordering the murder, allegedly because the councilwoman’s work went against the interests of those gangs, known as militias. They still have to go to trial.

Lessa and Queiroz, arrested in 2019, signed agreements confessing their role, but the jury has the final say on their guilt. Technically, juries could void plea deals, but analysts say that’s unlikely.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the trial site in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, many carrying sunflowers and chanting “Justice!”

“Today we have the opportunity to change the face of justice in Rio de Janeiro and in Brazil,” Antônio Francisco da Silva Neto, Marielle’s father, told reporters before the trial began. His mother, sister and daughter were also at the scene, as was Anderson’s wife, Agatha Arnaus.

“These individuals, confessed defendants, need to be condemned in an exemplary manner so that the message is conveyed that they are not God, they cannot take the life of any human being and go unpunished,” he added.

Known universally by her given name, Marielle, the murder was seen in Brazil as an attack on democracy. Raised in one of Rio’s poor communities known as favelasShe became known for her 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.

Outrage over his murder sparked mass protests.. His silhouette can be found printed on t-shirts and painted on walls across the country.

The defendants faced questions about the double death and also about the attempted murder of Fernanda Chaves, Franco’s assistant and friend, who was injured but survived.

Chaves recounted Marielle’s final moments in court Wednesday.

“We were talking about things about life, about work, about domestic things. At one point she was doubting whether or not to stop to buy bread at the bakery… It was when the car was going very slow that I heard a race… As an immediate reflex, I got out,” said Chaves. “I noticed (Anderson’s) right arm was off the steering wheel, Marielle was motionless. “I felt his arm on top of me, the weight of his body against me.”

Lessa told the court that he shot Marielle in the head and that Anderson died accidentally.

“I took a risk knowing that the ammunition was not adequate. It was a 9 millimeter caliber ammunition… if it had been a revolver, for example, only the councilor would have died, not Anderson,” he stated.

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

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

Both defendants participated in the trial by videoconference from prison. Lessa is in Sao Paulo while Queiroz is in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia. The jury heard from eight witnesses, six called by the state prosecutor’s office and two others by Lessa’s defense. Queiroz’s defense chose not to sanction any.

Federal authorities began investigating the case in earnest once leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in 2023.

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 linked to militias, which 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.

Guilhermo Catramby, delegate of the Federal Police, joined the case at the request of the then Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, in early 2023. He said that the motivation for the crime was “without a doubt” Marielle’s work on human rights. land, even if it were not central to his mandate.

“Marielle’s mandate… (was) a thorn in the interests of the militias, especially in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro,” he added.

Before the trial began, Anielle Franco, Marielle’s sister and Lula’s Minister of Racial Equality, said the day generated a “mixture of feelings.”

“It is a certainty that we fought hard and we will continue fighting. Not only for Mari, for Anderson, but for all those who will come. For my daughters, for my granddaughters and for all future generations. So that we have a safer place.”