Gleydson Carvalho was shot dead by two men as he was presenting his afternoon radio show on August 6, 2015, in the town of Camocim in the northern Brazilian state of Ceará. The two suspects entered the offices of Radio Liberdade FM 90.3, saying they wanted to place an advertisement and then shot Carvalho three times, according to a copy of the indictment by Camocim’s public prosecutor, reviewed by CPJ.
Carvalho was the director of the small station and presented a one-hour morning show and an afternoon show from noon to 3 p.m., in which he often criticized local police and politicians, Tadeu Nogeira, a friend and colleague who worked on a companion blog to Carvalho’s show, told CPJ.
The journalist had received death threats from anonymous sources that police said were in connection with his on-air reports on corruption and wrongdoing by local police and politicians in Camocim.
A police spokesman who asked not to be identified told CPJ the journalist’s cellphone contained messages sent to family members saying he was afraid because of death threats made against him. Nogueira told CPJ that similar threats had been left on his Facebook page.
A day after the murder, police arrested Gisele de Souza do Nascimento, 23, and Francisco Antônio Carneiro Portela, 18, in the nearby town of Senador Sá, a police spokesperson told CPJ via phone. The suspects were accused of providing a safe house for the killers. Police said they found the clothes worn by the suspected shooters, two revolvers, and ammunition.
On August 20, police detained a third suspect, Daniel Lennon Almada da Silva, 31, in the neighboring town of Martinópole, who was accused of providing the assassins with their getaway motorcycle, the police spokesperson told CPJ.
On August 27, seven people were charged with participating in the murder, which the prosecutor said was carried out in response to Gleydson’s criticism of the mayor of the city of Martinópole, James Martins Pereira Barros, known as James Bel. In addition to the three in custody, four other suspects were charged:
- João Batista Pereira da Silva, known as "Batista Dentista." Bel’s uncle and the alleged mastermind. He is also Lennon’s uncle.
- Daniel Lennon Almada da Silva. Bel’s nephew and treasurer of Martinópole City Hall
- Thiago Lemos da Silva and Israel Marques Carneiro, the alleged shooters, who were paid 9,000 reals.
In September 2015, police arrested Lemos and his wife, Regina Rocha Lopes, 19, who was accused of collaborating in the planning of the crime. According to police, Lemos admitted to participating in the crime but denied shooting Carvalho.
In a 2016 interview with news outlet 180, Bel denied any involvement with Carvalho’s murder.
In December 2015, police arrested Francisco Pereira da Silva, alias Chico Dentista, and brother of Batista Dentista, and charged him with aggravated homicide for funding the crime, according to local news reports.
In 2019, a court found Thiago Lemos da Silva guilty of qualified homicide and participation in a criminal organization, and he was sentenced to 27 years in prison, according to a statement from the Ceará public prosecutor’s office. The two women were given 23 years each for providing “logistical support.”
In January 2024, the alleged mastermind João Batista Pereira da Silva was arrested for qualified homicide.
CPJ was unable to determine what happened to Portela, Daniel Lennon Almada da Silva, and Francisco Pereira da Silva after their arrests.
As of October 2024, the alleged second shooter, Carneiro, is still at large.