The Bahian Justice received, on the afternoon of this Thursday (16), the complaint sent by the Public Ministry of Bahia (MP-BA) against five people involved in the murder of the ialorixá and quilombola leader, Maria Bernadete Pacifico Moreira, Mother Bernadete.
The complaint was received by the 1st Criminal Court of the district of Simões.
According to prosecutor Luiz Neto, coordinator of Gaeco, the MP-BA charged Arielson da Conceição Santos, Josevan Dionísio dos Santos, with the use of a firearm and no chance of defending the victim, for qualified homicide for base motives, in a cruel manner, Marílio dos Santos, Sérgio Ferreira de Jesus and Ydney Carlos dos Santos de Jesus.
The crime took place on August 17th, at the headquarters of the quilombola association, in the community of Pitanga dos Palmares, in the municipality of Simões Filho, in the metropolitan region of Salvador.
The MP-BA also requested the preventive arrest of Ydney de Jesus, which was ordered this Thursday (16). Marílio, who has four outstanding arrest warrants, and Josevam are on the run. Arielson and Sérgio are arrested. Carlos Conceição Santiago, who allegedly stored the weapons used in the crime, was the target of another complaint filed by the Public Ministry for illegal possession of a firearm.
The prosecutor also highlighted that the investigations “clearly” proved that Mãe Bernadete died because she was fighting drug trafficking in the region. “She had great popular legitimacy. Her advice, guidance and decisions were listened to by the community she defended,” he says.
“She was a woman of strength, a great religious leader”, said Neto.
Mother Bernadette was shot 25 times inside her own house, where her three grandchildren, aged 12, 13 and 18, were also present. The perpetrators of the shooting, according to investigations, were Arielson da Conceição and Josevan Dionísio, two members of a criminal drug trafficking faction that operates in Simões Filho.
Marílio dos Santos, local leader of the faction, is named as the leader, along with his “right-hand man” Ydney Carlos dos Santos. Sérgio Ferreira, Marílio’s stepfather, appears as one of the mentors. He would have advised the perpetrators on how to proceed to better carry out the murder and passed on the information that motivated the murder. Arielson and Josevan were also charged with theft, as they stole five cell phones from Ialorixá and her grandchildren.
The complaint highlights that Mãe Bernadete had taken a stand against the expansion of drug trafficking in the region and against the construction of the ‘Point Pitanga City’ tent, a drug selling point for Marílio and Ydney in the Pitanga dos Palmares dam, an environmental preservation area. .
Source: CNN Brasil
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