A Brazilian court today sentenced the first of five police officers charged with murdering 29 people in a massacre in Rio de Janeiro to a long prison term.
Carlos Jose Carvalho (32), who had pleaded not guilty to the killings, was convicted and sentenced to 543 years behind bars. He will serve no more than 30 years, the maximum term under Brazilian law, a court spokesman said.
"He was found guilty of 29 homicides, one attempted murder and forming a criminal gang. The right to await retrial in freedom was denied," the spokesman said, adding Carvalho's lawyer would appeal.
Four suspected accomplices of Carvalho, who was identified by witnesses and one survivor, have obtained injunctions delaying their trials.
On March 31st, a death squad made up of off-duty policemen went on a rampage in the poor Rio suburbs of Nova Iguacu and Queimados, killing men, women and children at random.
It was the worst death-squad massacre in more than a decade in the city, which is used to daily bloodshed involving police, drug gangsters and other criminals. The homicide rate of about 50 per 100,000 in metropolitan Rio de Janeiro is one of the highest in the world.
Brazil's police forces have a reputation for brutality, especially in their dealings with slum dwellers.
Police evidence showed the officers were seen drinking beer and singing karaoke tunes before the attack. The crimes were either meant as a show of force to a rival group or a response to a crackdown on corrupt police officers, with the aim of causing a change in police command in the area, according to police.