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By Andrea Martínez*

Marielle Franco would have turned 39 last Friday. For this reason, several demonstrations were held over the weekend to remember her and demand justice for her assassination, which took place on March 14.

Franco identified as a woman, lesbian, Black, and a "daughter of the favela," and she campaigned for her rights as a member of each of those communities. She was also a city councilor in Rio de Janeiro for the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL). The four bullets that ended her life and the three that hit her driver, Anderson Gomes, shocked Brazil, because the political motivation behind the crime seemed undeniable.

Initial clues indicated that the killers were professionals and had used bullets that once belonged to Brazilian security forces. The plot grew more complex as the investigation into the political motive behind the murder progressed. Franco's family and members of the PSOL party linked the councilwoman's death to her work on a parliamentary commission that investigated the actions of militias in 2008. That year, Franco, as a member of the PSOL, advised councilman and current party leader Marcelo Freixo, who was on the commission. The commission's work ultimately generated evidence that led to the prosecution of 226 people, including politicians, police officers, and military personnel.

Suspects

The investigation took a major turn when one of the witnesses testified that the execution was ordered by councilman Marcello Siciliano and former military police officer Orlando Oliveira de Araújo, known as Orlando da Curicica , the leader of a militia currently imprisoned for a previous crime. The accusations were published by the O Globo ; although the investigation remains confidential, Siciliano was forced to publicly deny any involvement.

The councilman from the Humanist Solidarity Party had already testified in Franco's case because he had a close relationship with her, and two days later one of his parliamentary advisors, Carlos Alexandre Pereira Maria, who had also testified in this investigation, was murdered in his car. Pereira's murder is being investigated as a related incident to Franco's.

[READ ALSO: #BRAZIL Marielle Franco was murdered: feminist, Afro-Brazilian, and lesbian councilwoman]

To the list of suspects headed by Siciliano and Curicica, other names linked to both murders have been added. Investigators believe that Alan de Morais Nogueira, known as Cachorro Loco (Crazy Puppy ), was in the car in which the men who shot Franco traveled, but it is still unknown whether he was the one who fired the shot. They also have indications that Thiago Bruno Mendonça was in charge of surveilling Franco beforehand. Furthermore, Ruy Ribeiro Bastos is suspected of having killed Pereira.

Many of those people are free, but last week Cachorro Loco , although it is unknown whether this was in connection with the investigation into Franco's murder or another crime. According to the newspaper O Globo , he was arrested along with former firefighter Luis Cláudio Ferreira Barbosa, both accused of being members of the militia led by Orlando de la Curicica.

"Highly sophisticated crime"

The lack of new developments and the silence surrounding the police investigation are causing concern among Franco's associates. PSOL councilman Tarcísio Motta said that his party is "increasingly worried and anxious about the direction of the investigation," and stated that "it's time for society to have an answer."

Amnesty International's coordinator in Brazil, Renata Neder, said that the fact that the investigation is secret should not be confused with silence from institutions and authorities. "The details must remain secret," but the authorities "must speak publicly and be accountable to society regarding whether the investigation is being prioritized and whether they are committed to resolving it properly." When questioned by the press, both political authorities and police chiefs referred to the confidentiality surrounding the investigation.

In this context, one of the few voices calling for patience is Freixo's. "I'm not justifying the delay, but this is not an easy case," he said last week. "More than one investigative team is working on the case; they are taking statements and gathering information. It's a very sophisticated crime, unlike any other," he added.

• This article is published in partnership with the Uruguayan media outlet la diaria .