Three years after the brutal murders of indigenous Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips in Vale do Javari, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) concluded a decisive cycle of investigations: Rubén Dario da Silva Villar, known as “Colombia”, was officially denounced as the mastermind of the crime. Designated as the leader of a structured criminal organization that profited from illegal fishing and hunting in the region, “Colombia” must appear in court with a jury, as well as against the material perpetrators of the homicides.
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However, procedural progress has encountered some impasses. While the Federal Court of Tabatinga recently decided to unify the procedures – by linking the case of criminal organization and concealment of a corpse to the main case of homicide – the MPF was concerned about the speed of the trial. The prosecution defended the dismemberment of the actions so that the executors, whose convictions have already become final, are tried immediately, thus avoiding that the complexity of the case against the mastermind delays the punishment of the confessed murderers.
Last Friday, the Internal Affairs Division of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF-1), responding to a request from the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF), annulled this decision of the Federal Court of Tabatinga. With the cancellation, processes can now resume their course.
In an interview with GLOBO, the Tabatinga prosecutor, Dr. Guilherme Diego Rodrigues Leal, details the complaint against “Colombia”, denies the involvement of local politicians in the crime and comments on the judicial imbroglio that could determine whether or not the popular jury will take place in 2026. He highlights the speed of the investigations and the work of the MPF to conclude a case considered very complex. This is the first time the agency has spoken to the press about this affair.
The MPF denounced Rubén Dario da Silva Villar, “Colombian”, as the author of the assassinations. You asked that it go to the popular jury. Is this rite guaranteed in the opinion of the Prosecutor?
Yes. According to the complaint, Rubén Dario committed crimes of aggravated homicide (criminal theft, ambush and resource that made the defense difficult) against Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips, within the framework of a material competition. In Dom’s case, there was also the motivation to ensure cover-up and impunity for the previous crime. Since this is an intentional crime against life, constitutional jurisdiction rests with the jury court.
This is not simply an “understanding” of the PGR, but an application of a constitutional provision. The MPF understands that Amarildo, Jefferson and Oseney acted under the command and consent of the accused. We are now awaiting the decision of the federal judge, expected given the solid evidence contained in the process, made public since July 2025.
How does the MPF estimate the time required to complete the test? Is there a perception of delay?
The MPF’s action was extremely rapid. In three years, we have denounced all the actors: the executors (core 1), denounced one year after the facts; correctors (core 2), after two years; and the main one (core 3), in three years. Given the logistical difficulties and the lack of structure in the region, the investigation was rapid.
As for the trial itself, it no longer depends on the MPF, but on the judicial power. As for the defendants Amarildo and Jefferson, the decision has already become final, that is, they will be submitted to a jury. We have already asked the Federal Court of Tabatinga to schedule it or send it to TRF1 to analyze the request for release of the jury in Manaus, but we are still waiting for its examination.
Recently, the Federal Court of Tabatinga proposed to unify the procedures (homicide, criminal organization and concealment of corpse) for a common trial. How does the MPF welcome this decision?
The position of the MPF is opposite. We advocate the dissolution of the jury. The executioners have already seen their decision consolidated for almost five months and remain incarcerated in federal prison. The objective of the MPF is to guarantee speed, by judging those who can already be. Unifying everything now could delay the outcome for the executors while the process of the main and related crimes is investigated. Our idea is to guarantee staged trials so as not to harm the speed of the proceedings.
In this scenario, can we expect everyone to be tried in 2026?
The idea is that everyone will end up in front of the jury, but it is not possible to say categorically that it will be in 2026. It depends on the court system, the strategy of the defense lawyers, the filing of appeals or Habeas Corpus.
In the specific case of the director (“Colombia”), the complaint was received in July 2025 and the hearing scheduled for early 2026. Only after its decision will the second phase of jury programming begin.
There has been speculation about the involvement of local politicians or “Colombia” itself in the death of Funai employee Maxciel Pereira dos Santos. What did the investigation conclude?
Concerning the Maxciel case, the investigation remains confidential and no information is to be provided at this time.
Concerning the Bruno and Dom case, after a long investigation carried out by the Federal Police under external supervision of the MPF, no line of inquiry or evidence was found linking the crimes to local politicians. The investigations were concluded and demonstrated that the assassinations were carried out at the behest of Rubén, head of a structured criminal organization focused on profiting from illegal hunting and fishing.
What are the next steps for MPF now?
The investigations were successful and concluded. From now on, the action of the MPF will be strictly procedural, before the Federal Court, to guarantee the conviction. Everyone involved has been denounced, and the mastermind and executors remain imprisoned in federal prisons awaiting legal action.
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