Brazilian court acquits rancher accused of ordering U.S. nun's murder

Published: 2008-05-07

SAO PAULO, Brazil (CNS) -- A Brazilian jury acquitted one of the ranchers accused of ordering the assassination of U.S. Sister Dorothy Stang in 2005. Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura, known as Bida, was acquitted May 6 of ordering the killing of the nun, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Last year de Moura was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the crime, but according to Brazilian law every defendant sentenced to serve more than 20 years has the right to appeal the decision and demand a new trial. Part of the reason for the acquittal was that Rayfran das Neves Sales, Sister Dorothy's confessed killer, said during his retrial that he alone was responsible for the killing. Sales said he felt threatened by the missionary and mistook her Bible for a gun. In earlier depositions, Sales had accused de Moura of ordering Sister Dorothy's killing. The jury increased Sales' prison time from 27 to 28 years May 6.

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