Suspects in Amazon killings to remain in jail after 30-day detention

The three main suspects in the murders of indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Philips had their preventive detention ordered for an indefinite term Saturday (Jul 9), the Federal Police reported. On Wednesday (6), the authorities had requested the change from temporary to preventive arrest in order to keep them in prison.

Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, nicknamed Pelado; Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, known as Dos Santos; and Jeferson da Silva Lima, referred to as Pelado da Dinha, should be transferred to Manaus, capital of Amazonas state, where they should be available to the Federal Police as well as state courts.

The three were brought under investigation in connection with the killings of Pereira and Phillips, gunned down in the Vale do Javari region, in the Amazon Forest, in early June. Amarildo Oliveira’s 30-day temporary arrest, ordered on June 9, was due to expire Saturday. Oseney Oliveira was arrested on June 14, and Lima was incarcerated four days later.

Illegal fishing

In addition to the individuals arrested, the Federal Police also detained Rubens Villar Coelho on Thursday (7). Known as Colômbia, he was jailed for using a forged document as he presented two IDs, one Brazilian and the other Colombian, with distinct names, at the Federal Police station in Tabatinga, Amazonas, where he voluntarily turned himself in.

In an interview to the press, the Federal Police stated Coelho denied being involved in the homicides as well as in the concealment of the two victims’ bodies. The suspect, however, is being investigated over alleged links to Amarildo and the financing of illegal fishing in indigenous territories.