Place where man accused of rape was tortured and killed by members of Comando Vermelho, in Fortaleza (CE) — Photo: Reproduction
Five members of Comando Vermelho were preventively arrested last Wednesday (23) on suspicion of having murdered a man with stones and stabs as a form of "punishment" after he was accused by residents of having raped an autistic girl at the beginning of the year, in Fortaleza. A sixth suspect, who was already arrested, was the subject of a new preventive arrest warrant.
The victim was identified as Antônio Cosmo Martins de Barros, aged 34, known as 'Có'. He would have been submitted to the 'crime court' on January 19 in the community known as favela do Sossego, in the Quintino Cunha neighborhood. At least seven adults and one teenager participated in the lynching.
According to the investigation, information began to circulate throughout the community that he had sexually abused a 13-year-old autistic girl. On the same day, the story reached Breno Sousa Andrade, known as Bê, and appointed head of Comando Vermelho in the community. Breno then ordered the execution of Antônio Cosmo.
The 34-year-old man was at home when the criminals invaded the place and began beating him. He was dragged through the streets, bleeding, and still being attacked. According to witnesses, Antônio Cosmo even begged them to call the girl so she could tell her that he had not abused her.
Antônio Cosmo was taken to the banks of the Maranguapinho River, where the criminals began to torture him with knives and stones while he was alive. The man had his head and face crushed with stones, a foot and a hand were amputated with a knife, another foot was half-amputated and another arm was half-amputated. In addition, he received stab wounds to the chest and other areas.
His body was thrown into the Maranguapinho River, while the criminals returned to the community and, in the middle of a square, confessed to the murder and prohibited residents from calling the police. The body was only found the following day after an anonymous report and removed from the water by the Fire Department.
MP's complaint
Members of Comando Vermelho are arrested for torturing and killing a man accused of rape, in Fortaleza — Photo: Reproduction
The murder occurred on January 19, but the arrest warrant was issued on September 17 by the Court after the Public Ministry of Ceará (MPCE) filed a complaint against the suspects for the crimes of homicide, corruption of minors and being part of a criminal organization. The court accepted the complaint against eight people. See who the eight accused are:
Breno Sousa Andrade, 29 years old, known as Bê, identified as head of the Comando Vermelho faction at the location and mastermind of the crime
Erisvando Sousa Silva, 30 years old, known as Cacá or Kaka, confessed to the crime; said he stabbed the victim
Iago Pinto Carneiro, aged 21, known as PC Iluminado; was seen taking the victim to the place of death and returning to the square with blood stains on his body, armed with a machete
Márcio Ruan Sousa Rodrigues, 19 years old, known as Bê Cocão; confessed in the square, in front of the residents, to having stabbed "one of the leg" of the victim
Rondinele Vicente do Nascimento, 30 years old, known as Guaxinin; was seen taking the victim to the place of death and returning to the square with blood stains on his body, armed with a machete
Cauã de Sousa Silva, known as Cauãzinho, aged 22; was seen taking the victim to the place of death and returning to the square with blood stains on his body, armed with a machete
João Pedro Silva Santos, known as Foguinho, aged 32; was seen taking the victim to the place of death and returning to the square with blood stains on the body
Denilson Maia Matias, 27, was seen taking the victim to the place of death and returning to the square with blood stains on his body, armed with a machete
In total, the Court issued eight arrest warrants for those involved in the crime, but only six targets were found in the operation carried out by the Civil Police on Wednesday (23). The police did not say which suspects were arrested on the list.
Of the six arrest warrants, five were served against people who were free, in the Quintino Cunha and Olavo Oliveira neighborhoods. A sixth warrant was served against Breno Sousa Andrade, known as Bê, who was already arrested for another crime. Two other suspects are on the run.
A 16-year-old teenager also participated in the murder. He was arrested in August this year, and sent to the 5th Children and Youth Court, but the young man is not among those charged in the Public Ministry's homicide case.
In the complaint, the MPCE highlighted that Antônio Cosmo's death was "authorized" by a leader, carried out collectively and, subsequently, an order of silence was imposed on the community's residents.
"The victim was never subjected to any investigation; on the contrary, he screamed about his innocence and asked that the teenager be called to deny them. The replacement of due legal process by lynching decided in a "crime court" reveals a vile and despicable motivation, which causes revulsion in the social environment and qualifies the crime", said the agency.
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