TIMON, MARANHÃO, BRAZIL Maria Clara, a 22-year-old woman, had a much brighter future than most girls from the favelas. She was highly intelligent, well-educated, and dreamed of becoming a lawyer. Unfortunately, her life took a dark turn when she got involved with a group of criminals. She even started dating one of them, which marked the beginning of her criminal record – a record that grew extensively over time. She rose quickly within the criminal underworld, accumulating three robbery convictions, multiple drug-related charges, kidnapping accusations, and being a person of interest in several kidnappings and two homicides.
Maria Clara
Her downfall came when she was caught red-handed during an armed robbery. Despite having a skilled lawyer, she was sentenced to prison. However, upon discovering she was pregnant, authorities allowed her to serve part of her sentence under house arrest to care for her newborn child. This arrangement included wearing an electronic ankle bracelet and abiding by a strict curfew.
About four months into her house arrest, Maria Clara was traveling in a car with two other women and two men when they forcefully broke through a police checkpoint, triggering a chase. During the pursuit, an unknown passenger fired shots at the police from the vehicle, briefly slowing the chase. The car eventually stopped near a forest; two men fled into the woods, while the three women stayed in the back seats. One of the women reportedly fired at the police – although this claim is disputed by a fellow passenger – prompting the officers to open fire, hitting the car 11 times.
Two women escaped without injuries, but Maria Clara was struck once in the back through the rear door and died before police arrived. Officers removed her from the vehicle to check her condition and confirmed she was deceased. She still had the electronic ankle monitor on her leg. The other two women appeared intoxicated and denied involvement. Authorities found drugs, ammunition, and at least one firearm in the car. An internal probe into the police use of force followed, but since the officers had been shot at and the only fatality was involved in violent crime, no charges were filed against the police.
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