2023-07-18 23:28:00
Marcelo Rios, 46, denied any involvement in the mistaken execution of 20-year-old Matheus Coutinho Xavier
Marcelo Rios, 46, during a statement this afternoon (Photo: Henrique Kawaminami)
Tried on charges of masterminding the murder of Paulo Xavier, a plan that ended up with the target’s son, Matheus Coutinho Xavier, shot at age 20, former civil guard Marcelo Rios, 46, denied any involvement in the homicide, but admitted being responsible for the arsenal seized at the house in Bairro Monte Líbano, the trigger for Operation Omertà. During interrogation, on the afternoon of this Tuesday (18), he released Name, for whom he worked, from any crime committed by him.
Rios stated that it was Juanil Miranda, named in the process as one of the gunmen hired for the execution by mistake, who sought him out and hired him to guard the weapons. “I committed a crime in 2019, at the beginning of May, May 5 or 6, Juanil offered me to keep these weapons for him, I assumed I did that. I kept these weapons for 2 thousand reais. It was the most expensive BRL 2 thousand of my life”.
The former municipal guard also speaks of regret. “Because I ruined the lives of the people I worked with, my friends, I ruined everyone’s lives. They associated my greed for those 2 thousand reais, they associated it with homicide, with this, with that. What I did, I assumed, I was wrong. Marcelo Rios today is a repentant citizen”.
Marcelo Rios is appointed by Omertà as head of security for the Name family and “manager” of the militia formed by Jamil, the “Velho”, and Jamilzinho, the son, to exterminate enemies. According to the investigation, his participation in the death of Matheus was planning the execution of “PX”, a former member of Name’s “armed escort”, considered a traitor, and hiring assassins for hire to put the project into practice.
The defendant commented on the relationship with the Name family. “I started working in 2016. I did everything. Afterwards, I was the person who brought people to work in the house, I brought Antunes, Erolnaldo and Robert [todos foram alvos da Omertà]. After a while, I became a trusted employee of your Jamil [Name, o pai]”.
Rios also said that Juanil was just an acquaintance. “Juanil may have been a watchman, but I had no direct contact with him. He showed me some guns and asked if I wanted to buy one, that’s all.”
The defense asked what was the argument that Juanil used to convince him to keep the weapons in the house that belonged to the former boss – the same house that was later discovered extortion practiced by the Names against the real owner. “He told me he needed to be away for 20 days, so there was nowhere for me to take the weapons. So, I decided to hide in this house.”
Rios also stated that he enjoyed the property. “If I knew any girls, I would take them to this house. That was my mistake.”
Finally, the former guard denied any involvement in the murder. “I don’t know about this kid’s homicide, I accept my mistakes, but I have nothing to do with that. Yesterday, when the victim’s father was here crying, I held back from crying, because I’m a family man and it must be horrible to lose a son like he did”.
When answering questions from the jurors, asked by Judge Aluízio Pereira dos Santos, Rio repeated that he had no involvement in the death of the law student. “Who killed the victim?” asked the magistrate. And the former guard replied, “I don’t know.”
The defendant gave an answer to corroborate with the thesis that is gradually being presented by the defenses: that Paulo Xavier had connections with the PCC (First Command of the Capital), a criminal faction that operates inside and outside the prisons. “Who mediated the victim’s death?” asked the defender. Rios said: “I didn’t go. I did not do this. What I can say is what father said here that he died by mistake. But I’m going to say what I heard at the Federal [presídio em Mossoró]. What everyone talks about in there is that the PX lost a drug faction”.
When asked what he had to say about the fact that the victim was shot, Marcelo Rios spoke metaphorically. Look:
The jury – This Monday (17), the first day of the jury, five witnesses for the prosecution were heard: delegates Daniella Kades, Tiago Macedo and Carlos Delano. The victim’s father, Paulo Xavier, was also heard and, finally, the Civil Police investigator, Giancarlos de Araújo e Silva.
The defense’s focus was on trying to disentangle the Name family from the case, even citing a connection between the retired PM major and mega-trafficker Sérgio Roberto de Carvalho and Paulo Roberto Xavier, Matheus’ father.
This Tuesday (18), police chief João Paulo Sartori was heard, a prosecution witness who did not have time to be heard yesterday, and defense witnesses, including Rios’ wife, were heard.
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