A court in Brazil sentenced two former police officers to lengthy prison terms for the 2018 murder of left-wing icon Marielle Franco.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A judge on Thursday handed down lengthy sentences to two former police officers for the 2018 murder of Rio de Janeiro City Council icon Marielle Franco Brazil’ Political leftists whose murder sparked outrage.

Ronnie Lessa and Elcio de Queiroz were sentenced to nearly 79 years and nearly 60 years in prison, respectively, for the March 14, 2018, drive-by shooting that killed Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomez. The jury found that Lessa fired the gun and that De Queiroz was the driver on the night of the crime.

Lessa and de Queiroz, who were arrested in 2019, previously signed plea deals acknowledging their roles, but jurors had the final say on their guilt on murder and other charges. The verdict, although expected, was a measure of solace for many who viewed the martyrdom of a black bisexual woman as an attack on democracy and worried that the crime would go unpunished.

Prosecutors argued that each man should be sentenced to the maximum possible term of 84 years on three counts of double murder, attempted murder and driving a cloned car.

When Judge Lucia Glios finished reading the verdict, the courtroom erupted in applause and the victims’ families began to cry. Mariel’s sister, Aniel Franco, Brazil’s minister for racial equality, held her parents and daughter Mariel Luyara Franco in a long, tearful hug. Her father rested his head on the chest of former congressman Marcelo Freixo, who was her political mentor.

Brazilian law does not allow life imprisonment, and each man will serve no more than 30 years of his sentence. Local media reported that because of their plea deals, Queiroz and Lessa could receive 12 and 18 years in prison, respectively, including time already served. Prosecutors deny reducing the sentence.

In any case, Thursday’s verdict is seen as just a step toward justice as another trial of the men accused of ordering her murder is still to come. They will also have to pay 706,000 reais ($122,000) in moral damages to several family members of the victims and provide benefits to Gomes’ young son until he turns 24, according to a statement on the court’s website.

Known throughout the world by her first name, Mariel, she grew up in one of the Rio’s poor communities known as favelas. She became known for her efforts to improve the lives of ordinary residents. Since her election in 2016, she has fought against violence against women, advocating for human rights and social programs.

Testimony on Wednesday during first day of trial gave details of the moments leading up to and following the shooting. Among those who testified were Franco’s assistant and girlfriend, who was also in the car, Fernanda Chavez, as well as Franco’s mother and her partner Monica Benicio.

Depressed and often unable to speak, Benicio said the last thing Mariel ever said to her was, “I love you.”

“We had plans to get married and have a wedding party. When Mariel died, I felt like they took away the promise of a future,” she said, later adding that the right to a just city was one of Mariel’s causes.

“Mariel also defended the right to decent housing from the perspective of the favelas, the periphery, this was the theme of the city’s advocacy program.”

Both defendants participated in the trial via video conference from prison. Lessa is located in Sao Paulo, and de Queiroz is located in the capital of Brazil, Brasilia.

Federal authorities began seriously investigating the case after leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came to power in 2023.

Following the sentencing of Lessa and de Queiroz, attention will now turn to the men accused of ordering the murder: two brothers with alleged gang ties known as militias who illegally charge residents for various services, including protection.

Guillermo Catrambi, a federal police detective, told the court on Wednesday that the killing was “undoubtedly” motivated by Mariel’s work regarding land rights, particularly in western Rio de Janeiro. Her work there was “a thorn in the side of the police’s interests,” Katrambi said.

In March Federal police detained two brothers, federal deputy Chiquinho Brazao and his brother Domingos Brazao.Member of the Accounts Supervisory Service of the State of Rio. They deny any involvement in the killing or links to militias and have not yet appeared in court.

In his plea deal, Lessa told police that the political brothers hired him and said that the state’s then-civil police chief, Rivaldo Barbosa, had signed his agreement in advance. Barbosa, who also denies any involvement, was arrested in March.

Mariel’s family and Agata Arnaus, Gomes’ widow, spoke to reporters after the trial. Holding hands, they said that while the verdict provides some closure after years of struggle and pain, it is just the first step on a long road to justice.

“I wanted my mother to be here, but today will definitely go down in the democratic history of this country,” said Luyara, the daughter of a council member, fighting back tears.

“If the justice system had not convicted these two brutal killers, we would not have had a moment of peace. But it doesn’t end there,” said Antonio Francisco da Silva, Mariel’s father. “There are those who ordered the crime. Now the question is: when will those who ordered this be convicted?”

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Sao Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo.