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Francisco (died 28 April 1876) was the last person to be executed in Brazil. An enslaved person, he was hanged for the murder of his masters.
In 1874, Francisco and two other slaves, Prudêncio and Vicente, were arrested for beating to death their masters, João Evangelista de Lima and his wife Josepha Marta de Lima. The act was committed in Pilar, Alagoas. Francisco and Prudêncio fled to Pesqueira; in a confrontation with police, Prudêncio was killed and Francisco was captured. Vicente had fled to Marechal Deodoro, where he was captured.
At Francisco and Vicente's trial, they were both found guilty of the murders. Francisco was sentenced to death by hanging and Vicente was sentenced to
life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...
. Both appealed to Emperor Dom Pedro II for clemency; Francisco's appeal was denied and the emperor did not respond to Vicente's. Vicente later died in prison.
Francisco's execution was carried out in Pilar on 28 April 1876. It was the last execution carried out in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.
Since 2000, an annual re-enactment of Francisco's last hours has been held in Pilar on 28 April. In part, the re-enactment is intended to celebrate the abolition of the death penalty in Brazil.