This story excerpt was translated from Portuguese. To read the original story in full, visit Agência Pública. You may also view the original story on the Rainforest Journalism Fund website here. Our RJF website is available in English, Spanish, bahasa Indonesia, French, and Portuguese.
Until now, it was believed that there was no police record of "Pelado" prior to the murders.
- "Pelado" was arrested in flagrante by the Civil Police in 2019 for possession of 200 cartridges of a 16-caliber rifle.
- The investigation also concluded that "Pelado" was not denounced by the Public Prosecutor's Office because he was excluded from the final police report.
- Attorney Hurigel Bruno de Araújo, who defended "Pelado" at the time, does not remember details of the case.
Atalaia do Norte (AM) — The fisherman and hunter Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, 41, or "Pelado", who according to the police confessed to killing the indigenist Bruno Pereira and the British journalist Dom Phillips and indicated where the bodies were, had already been arrested in flagrante by the Civil Police in 2019 for possession of 200 cartridges of rifle caliber 16. Until now, it was believed that there was no police record of "Pelado" prior to the murders.
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According to "Pelado's" statement about the murders, he used a rifle with the same caliber to kill Bruno and Dom on June 5. The police are still looking for the gun, which the fisherman said he threw into the Itaquaí riverbed shortly after the crime.
Agência Pública has located at the Civil Police of Benjamin Constant (AM), which is a 40-minute drive from the city of Atalaia do Norte (AM), the public record of the police occurrence that led to the arrest of "Pelado." He was released soon after — it is not clear from the documentation how long he stayed in jail; it would have been less than a day, according to sources consulted by the report. The investigation also concluded that "Pelado" was not charged by the Public Prosecutor's Office because he was excluded from the final police report. Although he was indicted by the police, the indictment was not ratified in the final report. Agência Pública is investigating the reasons for this exclusion, and as soon as the matter is clarified, this text will be updated.