José Rubem Ponte de Souza, the owner and president of "Entre-Rios" paper, was shot in the head while he was sitting in a bar with some friends.
(ABRAJI/IFEX) – Police are investigating the murder of newspaper owner José Rubem Ponte de Souza. He was shot in the head on 30 October 2010 while he was sitting in a bar with friends in the main square of Paraíba do Sul, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Souza was the owner and president of the newspaper “Entre-Rios”, in the city of Três Rios.
The detectives think that the crime may be related to stories published in the newspaper in 2006, which led to the impeachment of João Vicente, mayor of Paraíba do Sul. In 2008, Souza himself was defeated while running for mayor of the same town. According to his co-workers, he was planning to participate in the 2012 elections. Another possibility is that the attack was linked to reports on the murder of a 21-year-old student.
The paper’s editor-in-chief, Daniel Vizeu, told the police that despite their daily contact Souza had never mentioned receiving any threats.
