MANAUS, AMAZONAS, BRAZIL – MARCH 31, 2015 Berenice Silva do Carmo, 34, was a resident of the Viver Melhor 2 complex in the northern part of Manaus. She did not have a good relationship with local drug traffickers after they assaulted her 16 year old daughter. She decided to report them to the police.
If you are a resident of the favela, any cooperation is punishable by death, something Berenice must have been well aware of. Just a few days later she was shot dead on Araraboia Street inside the Viver Melhor 2 complex. Berenice was the mother of 4 children and was pregnant at the time of her death.
Police arrested a teenager, only 17 years old, in connection with her murder. He confessed to everything and even revealed his accomplice and the location of the .38 caliber pistol he used. He gave the names of his accomplices as Leandro Albuquerque, Nathanael Costa, Alexandre Garcia and one other only 15 years old whose name was never released. All of them were involved in the production and distribution of drugs in the complex. They even had their own drug brewery.
