Cop Sentenced For Killing Children Brazil State Trooper Receives Symbolic 261 Years In Prison

A court sentenced a state trooper to 261 years in prison Thursday for killing eight street children and trying to kill another, but the move was largely symbolic.

Under Brazilian law, no one may serve more than 30 years in prison for any crime, and defendant Nelson Cunha is automatically granted a retrial because he was sentenced to more than 20 years.

Cunha is the second policeman to face trial for the slayings in downtown Rio. Earlier this year, officer Marcus Vinicius Emmanuel was sentenced to 309 years in prison, later reduced to 89 years at his retrial. With time off for good behavior, Emmanuel could be free in as little as five years.

While human rights groups said Cunha’s sentence represents a step forward, they say many aspects of the trial were questionable and not all of those responsible will be punished.

“The sentence was to satisfy people abroad, so they can say justice was done. But that’s only partially true. Some of those involved were convicted, but a lot of the others will walk,” said Cristina Leonardo, head of the Brazilian Center for Defense of Children’s and Adolescent’s Rights.

The children were killed before dawn on July 23, 1993. Gunmen drove up to a sidewalk in front of the Candelaria Cathedral in downtown Rio and opened fire on the children sleeping there.

Human rights groups say shopkeepers in high-crime districts routinely pay policemen to kill children suspected of stealing.

According to police, 596 minors were slain last year in Rio de Janeiro state, up from 513 in 1994. But activists say many more are killed and buried in secret cemeteries.