Genildo Ferreira do Franca

Case record: Genildo Ferreira do Franca

STATUS / outcome

Genildo Ferreira de Franca died in a shootout after he released two hostages unharmed and then shot himself before police riddled his body with bullets.

Timeline

• May 21, 1997 — França began his rampage in São Gonçalo do Amarante, killing a taxi driver he suspected of being the lover of his former wife.
• May 21, 1997 — França shot and killed his ex-wife, her parents, and his own five-year-old daughter was taken as a hostage; a 16-year-old girl was also taken.
• May 21, 1997 — He was surrounded by police; he released Valdenice Ribeiro da Silva and his five-year-old daughter; he then killed himself.
• May 22, 1997 — França met his end at one in the afternoon the day after he started his rampage.
• Two days after the rampage — Only one relative showed up who was on his hit list at his funeral.
• May 23, 1997 — Police searched for more victims.

Background

Genildo Ferreira de Franca was a former army soldier who went on a methodical, personal revenge mission. He was angry at being called “a homosexual” by his former father-in-law. The motive for the killings involved allegations that he was homosexual, and he left a letter addressing those who wanted to prove he was homosexual.

He had been despondent over the death of his 1-year-old son, who had been run over by a taxi two years earlier. A friend and associate of Franca said: “He used to be a calm kind of guy, but ever since his son was run over by a car, he became a bit strange.”

França accused his second wife of starting a rumor that he was homosexual. After killing his wife, he made Valdenice write: “I dare anyone to prove that I was homosexual. I wasn't and I will not be. All this tragedy was caused by such a commentary.” He also asked forgiveness for not having vindicated the son's death.

His mother, Maria do Carmo, said her son “was always kind and gentle with everyone.” She said that when his baby Iuri was killed, “he opened himself to the enemy the devil.” She thought her son got worse when his ex-father-in-law started telling everyone Franca was a homosexual. She said: “But that was not true. My son was a womanizer.”

Apparently, three months before the rampage, Ferreira went to buy a coffin, telling the undertaker he was going to commit suicide.

The offence

França’s rampage involved shootings in São Gonçalo do Amarante and a later search for more bodies.

He was armed with an automatic pistol and a .38-caliber revolver with a silencer, and in other accounts he was armed with two pistols and wearing a bullet-proof vest and a military camouflage uniform. He shot to death a taxi driver he suspected of being the lover of his former wife.

After stuffing the body in the trunk of the car, he visited and killed his ex-wife and her parents, and took his five-year-old daughter hostage. With another hostage going along, a 16-year-old girl, he lured people into the cab to go to a party and then took them to a wooded area to kill them.

Police believed that 16-year-old Valderice Ribeiro da Silva (also spelled Valdenice Ribeiro da Silva and Valderici Ribeiro da Silva in different passages) was more of an accomplice than a hostage. A police spokesman said: “She was with him the whole time and was carrying the ammunition. They were both on drugs,” “We believe she may have been helping him.”

One account included statements attributed to the girl, saying that after sharing several joints with her, França forced her to have sex with him, threatening that it would be her last time.

França had a list of 20 people who he believed had offended him and who deserved to die, and another account said he had a list of 25 people he wanted to kill. He was selective about his victims, crossing them off his list after each kill. Those who were not killed were told, “You may go, you're a good person, you don't deserve to die.”

A policeman who tried to stop him was also shot dead.

Before killing Edílson Nascimento, França screamed, “Now I want you to see you saying that you screwed me.”

Some accounts stated that the number of dead could reach as high as 20, with police still expected to find more bodies. Other passages described at least 12, at least 15, and at least 17 dead depending on the stage of reporting.

The dead included França’s ex-wife, her parents, his current wife, his mother-in-law, and others described as at least 12, at least 15, or at least 16 people depending on the passage. Three people were injured in one passage.

França’s rampage also included a period in which, after his wife and in-laws were killed, he walked down the street and killed people at random. Another passage described that he drove the taxi of his first victim through the streets of São Gonçalo do Amarante until midday Thursday, armed with a hit list.

Investigation / police response

Police surrounded França in a wooded area where he had hostages, and in the ensuing shootout he was killed and the hostages were released unharmed. In one passage, around noon police surrounded him and two hostages in a wooded area; in the ensuing shootout, França was killed and the hostages were released unharmed.

In another passage, França was cornered by 140 police officers in a ceramic tile factory where he shot himself before police riddled his body with bullets. Another passage said he was finally cornered by 200 police officers in the ceramic tile factory.

After his death, police searched for more victims, and the number of dead could still rise as more bodies were expected to be found.

Hostages / victims released

Two hostages were released unharmed after police confronted him. The hostages were Valdenice Ribeiro da Silva (or Valderice/Valderici Ribeiro da Silva in different passages) and his five-year-old daughter.

Assistance / accomplice

Army buddy Francisco de Assis dos Santos, 22, confessed to aiding Genildo with the first five slayings. Police Inspector Sergio Leocadio Teixeira said, in a telephone statement: “A man who went on a 22-hour shooting spree that left 15 people dead in northeastern Brazil ''would laugh as if possessed by the devil'' after each killing, an accomplice said Friday.”

A police spokesman said police believed Dos Santos was a drug addict and that Dos Santos confessed to holding the arms of the victims as Franca shot them. A passage attributed to Dos Santos said that after each kill the ex-soldier would laugh as if possessed by the devil, and that Dos Santos stopped helping with the carnage because the laughing started to bother him.

Dos Santos was arrested and confessed to aiding Franca in carrying out the slayings.

Artefacts and quotations (verbatim letter / statements)

França wrote in a three-page letter found after he was killed: “The reason I am writing these few lines is not to justify the wrong I have done, but it is only in this way that I can ... challenge those who wanted to prove I was a homosexual.”

The statement “We consider this an isolated case. Our town is a town of peace. The mood here is of sadness and consternation.” was attributed to Francisco Potiguar Cavalcanti Jr., the mayor of the town of 65,000 people.

A police spokesman, Gustavo Mariano, also provided statements quoted in reporting, including: “All we know is that he killed a lot of people, at least 17, but there could be more,” “Officers took up the search again this morning.”

In relation to the killings and his motive, a police spokesman said: “Ferreira heard his (former) wife was having an affair and that people were saying he was homosexual. That's when he went crazy and just started shooting.”

A police spokesman also said: “Ferreira took two hostages, his 5-year-old daughter and a 16-year- old girl police suspect of being an accomplice in the killings.”

He also said: They were both on drugs,” “We believe she may have been helping him and are still questioning her.”

Other details

França was described as leaving behind a note indicating he was upset that he had been called a homosexual. Another account said it was not clear who made the allegations.

A former friend and colleague of Ferreira’s identified himself only as Genival and said França had been threatening to kill 25 people since his son died a year ago: “He used to be a calm kind of guy, but ever since his son was run over by a car, he became a bit strange,” Genival said.

França’s letter included mention of “writing these few lines” as a way to challenge those who wanted to prove he was a homosexual.

After the rampage, two days later only 15 people attended his funeral, and only one relative showed up who was on his hit list.

The hostages were described as unharmed after the shootout. One passage stated the group of hostages was detained in a wooded area and the hostages were unharmed after França died.

França’s end was described both as suicide and as unclear whether he committed suicide or was killed by police; however, the outcome recorded here is that he shot himself before police riddled his body with bullets.