2 Convicted of Slaying U.S. Nun in Amazon
Two Brazilian men were convicted Saturday of killing an American nun who spent decades trying to save the Amazon rain forest, in a trial many saw as a test of Brazil’s commitment to prosecuting land dispute-related killings.
Rayfran das Neves Sales and Clodoaldo Carlos Batista were found guilty of killing Dorothy Stang on Feb. 12 in the Amazon.
The jury sentenced Sales, who shot Stang six times, to 27 years in prison. Batista, an accomplice, received 17 years.
Stang, 73, was killed in Para state, which is notorious for corruption and land-related violence that in the last 20 years has claimed the lives of more than 500 people.
Prosecutor Esdon Cardoso said the case would be resolved only when three other suspects were convicted, including two ranchers accused of ordering the killing. A third man has been charged with acting as a go-between for the gunmen and the ranchers. They are expected to face trial next year.
On Friday, Sales and Batista recanted confessions. Sales said he acted in self-defense, believing Stang was reaching for a gun as she pulled out a Bible.
Prosecutors alleged Sales and Batista were offered $25,000 by ranchers to kill the nun. Both denied being offered money.
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