Death of lawyer in front of RJ’s OAB was a ‘message’ against legal exploitation of betting, says MPRJ

The Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro denounced three suspects for the death of lawyer Rodrigo Marinho Crespo, aged 42, shot in front of the headquarters of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) in Rio in February this year. In the complaint, the prosecution emphasizes that Marinho’s death was a ‘message’ from the RJ mafia against the legal exploitation of online betting games.

The complaint presented by the prosecution states that the lawyer was killed in a public place, in front of the OAB headquarters, in broad daylight. “There are strong indications that the mafia, with the execution, intended to send ‘a message'”, revealed the MP.

The MPRJ denounced Cezar Daniel Mondego de Souza, Eduardo Sobreira Moraes and military police officer Leandro Machado da Silva, who was removed from duty and lost his firearm possession under court orders.

The PM is said to be responsible for providing the cars used in the attack. Cezar Daniel is suspected of having monitored the victim, while Eduardo Sobreira is named by the police as responsible for following the victim and driving the car to Cezar Daniel before the murder.

In the complaint, the prosecution reveals that the trio monitored the lawyer before the crime was carried out and that Marinho did not have the opportunity to defend himself. “[A vítima] She was hit by several gunshots, while her back was turned, in a typical act of summary execution.”

The Public Prosecutor’s Office also highlighted that the crime was committed for a ‘base’ reason: “Demonstration of strength and power, given that the victim’s professional performance, as a lawyer, had been disturbing vested interests of an active criminal organization, among other activities, in the exploitation of online betting games”, pointed out the prosecutor’s office.

The complaint was presented last Friday, 26th, to the Rio de Janeiro Courts by the Specialized Action Group for Combating Organized Crime (Gaeco) and by the 4th Specialized Criminal Investigation Prosecutor’s Office of the Capital, linked to the state Public Ministry.

Remember the case

The crime occurred around 5pm on February 26th, on Avenida Marechal Câmara, close to OAB and Marinho & Lima Advogados, an office where Rodrigo Marinho Crespo was a founding partner. According to witnesses, the criminals were in a white vehicle.

According to the police, the vehicle in which the killer arrived was parked in a double line. He then got out of the back seat, took about three steps and then started the first shots. Apparently, one of the criminals even called him before the shots were fired.

The criminal continued shooting at the lawyer, who was already lying on the ground. After the attack, the killer quickly returned to the vehicle, which had the door open. According to the police, the entire action lasted just 14 seconds.

The lawyer had a habit of coming down from his office to have coffee and talk to people. The crime was recorded by security cameras in the area and, according to information from civil police, the criminal had fired at least 15 shots from a 9 mm pistol. Investigators recovered at least ten capsules at the scene.

Who was Rodrigo?

Rodrigo Marinho Crespo graduated in Law in 2005, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC), and was a founding partner of the law firm Marinho & Lima Advogados. The lawyer also specialized in Civil Business Law from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV).

The professional had experience in Civil Business Law with an emphasis on Contracts and Civil Procedural Law. The office where he worked is located on Avenida Marechal Câmara, the same street where he was killed. The headquarters of the Public Defender’s Office, the state Public Ministry and the OAB are also located at the address.

Source: Redação Terra