Marielle Franco’s mother does not see her daughter’s death as ‘the end’

Marinete Silva, mother of Marielle Franco, was the second witness who testified in the trial against Ronnie Lessa and Élcio de Queiroz, the confessed murderers of councilor and driver Anderson Gomes. The trial took place this Wednesday (30) at the IV Jury Court in Rio de Janeiro. Moved, Marinete remembered moments with her daughter and highlighted the need for conviction. “That’s what I hope. This is what the entire society expects,” he emphasized. And he added: “Marielle’s death is not the end. If that were the case, we wouldn’t be here.”

Marinete remembered the night of the crime, March 14, 2018. “I clearly saw myself in a mother’s delirium, because at that moment I couldn’t believe that everything was true. Sometimes I can’t remember those nights I spent. Would it be crazy for a mother to think her daughter was still alive? No. It was the pain that went beyond my chest in just a few days,” he recalled.

Anielle Franco compares her arrival at the TJ to be judged with the day of Marielle’s wake

Marinete also commented on the long road to the trial of the accused, mentioning the difficulties faced: “After a lot of resistance, after going through five delegates, due to a change in the Public Ministry.” She highlighted her determination: “What we bring here today, I cannot say that I am grateful not only for my insistence and my faith, but it was very hard to get here. “I never gave up that day, from earning this trust from the defense, which became an extension of my house, of my history with my daughter.”

Regarding the possible conviction of the accused, Marinete was hopeful. “That’s what I hope. “It is what all of society expects,” he added. “I didn’t walk to the end. I walked to the start. “That is why we are here today.”

Judgment

The trial of Ronnie Lessa and Élcio de Queiroz, who claim to have murdered Marielle on the orders of the brothers Chiquinho and Domingos Brazão, takes place more than six years after the murders that shook Brazil. The date was set by Judge Gustavo Kalil during a meeting at the Central Forum of Rio, attended by representatives of the Public Ministry, assistant prosecutors and the defense of the accused.

The first witness to be heard was Fernanda Gonçalves Chaves, Marielle’s former advisor, who was present during the crime. The testimony was conducted remotely.