witness in marielle franco case assassinated in rio

The horrific assignation of afro-Brazilian feminist activist Marielle Franco just became even darker as news that one of the witnesses to her murder has been killed. Like Franco, Carlos Alexandre Pereira Maria was a black activist who worked closely with his community to champion their needs. Last week it was learned that Pereira was scheduled to testify in court for the investigation of Franco’s assassination. But Sunday night, Pereira’s body was found inside of a bullet-riddled car parked in Curumau, just east of Rio de Janeiro.

An investigation into Pereira’s murder is ongoing.