The trial of those accused of murdering racketeer Fernando de Miranda Iggnacio begins this Thursday (9) at 11 a.m. at the 1st Jury Court of Rio. The crime is linked to the struggle for control over the ‘jogo do bicho’ gambling racket in the state.
Iggnacio was executed in November 2020 in the parking lot of a heliport in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, as he returned from his vacation home in Angra dos Reis, on the Costa Verde of Rio de Janeiro, where he habitually spent his weekends.
The victim was the son-in-law of Castor de Andrade, known as one of the leaders of the ‘jogo do bicho’ in Rio de Janeiro. Castor died of natural causes in 1997, sparking a family dispute over his inheritance.
Facing the jury will be defendants Rodrigo Silva das Neves, Pedro Emanuel D’Onofre Andrade Silva Cordeiro, and Otto Samuel D’Onofre Andrade Silva Cordeiro. The crime was ordered by Rogério de Andrade, who controls the ‘jogo do bicho’ and slot machines in Bangu, in the west zone of Rio’s capital.
According to the indictment, on the day of the crime, around 9 a.m., the first four accused arrived by car, with three of them invading the vacant lot adjacent to the heliport, armed with at least two rifles.
After waiting for about four hours, Fernando Iggnacio disembarked from his helicopter, returning from Angra dos Reis on the Costa Verde. The accused then positioned their weapons on top of the wall adjacent to the heliport’s parking lot, approximately four meters from where the victim’s car was parked. The racketeer was hit by three shots, one of them to the head.
According to the indictment, Marcio Araujo de Souza, one of Rogério de Andrade’s personal security officers, was responsible for hiring, on Rogério’s orders, the other accused to carry out the crime.
The investigation identified that Rodrigo das Neves and Ygor da Cruz had previously worked as security for the Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel Samba School, whose patron is Rogério de Andrade. All six were charged with aggravated homicide.
Source: Agência Brasil.
Original published at O Cafezinho.