In the case of the killing of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, prosecutors are charging three suspects. Two are said to have already confessed to the crime.
A federal police officer arrests a man who is said to have confessed to the killing. July 15, 2022
(dpa) Brazil’s Attorney General’s Office has charged three suspects in the killings of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in the Amazon. This emerged from a statement by the public prosecutor’s office on Friday. Accordingly, the lawsuits were filed with the competent court in Tabatinga in the state of Amazonas. Two of the defendants confessed to the crime, while the involvement of the third defendant was proven by witness statements.
Phillips and Pereira went missing on June 5 while traveling to the Javari Valley in western Brazil. Almost two weeks later, the federal police announced that her remains had been identified. According to the Attorney General, Pereira was killed with three shots.
Phillips was only killed because he was there. So the previous crime should be covered up. As a motive, the public prosecutor said that Pereira asked Phillips to photograph the defendants’ boat. Pereira had already been in conflict with one of them because of illegal fishing in indigenous areas.
The border area with Peru and Colombia is particularly dangerous due to illegal prospecting for gold, deforestation, fishing and hunting as well as drug smuggling. Pereira had documented illegal activities in the Javari Valley for the authorities. He had reported to the police that he had been threatened several times. Phillips was doing research for a book on Amazon conservation.