June 30, 2003
Case: Nicanor Linhares Batista
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The 42-year-old radio journalist was murdered:
October 8, 2003
Clarinha Glock
The 42-year-old radio journalist, director and owner of Radio Vale do Jaguaribe FM, was murdered around 7:30 p.m. on June 30, 2003, in Limoeiro do Norte, Ceará state, in the studio at his radio station. According to witnesses, two masked men burst into the studio and shot Batista more than 10 times. They were believed to have fled on a red motorcycle that the police found abandoned the next day. A radio engineer was understood to be the only person at the station at the time, but was said to have hidden during the incident.
Batista was a controversial radio journalist who did not spare criticism of poor local government administration. He had been beaten up and threatened more than once as a result of his allegations.
Police detained eight people suspected of having been involved in Batista’s murder and are looking for four others, one of them believed to be the actual killer. Among those in custody is an army sergeant. According to Russas Regional Police chief Edmar Beserra Granja, who is leading the investigation, the suspects may also have been involved in other recent crimes in the area, including freight theft, bus hijacks and murders. Granja believes Batista’s death could be linked to his criticism of city officials in his radio program.
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