08.12.09 MURDER: IT’S GREAT FOR RATINGS

In Brazil, the “Canal Livre” TV show frequently obtained exclusive first images from murder scenes, often arriving at the scene of the crime before police.  How did they do it?  Police claim that the show’s host, state legislator Wallace Souza, was organizing the hits to eliminate competitors in the drug trade — and to boost ratings.

Police said Wallace Souza faces charges of drug trafficking, gang formation and weapons possession, but has not been charged with any killings.

Souza remains free because of legislative immunity that prevents him from being arrested as long as he is a lawmaker. He is being investigated by a special task force, and state judicial authorities will decide whether the case goes forward…

“We believe that they organized a kind of death squad to execute rivals who disputed with them the drug trafficking business,” [police] said.  Souza, [police] charged, “would eliminate his rival and use the killing as a news story for his program.”

The whole story is eight different kinds of awesome.  Souza denies everything and makes counter-charges of pedophilia, the only witness is a disgraced police officer allegedly seeking leniency for nine homicides he’s charged with, Souza’s son murdered a man by suffocating him with his ass cheeks…  Okay, so I made that last part up, but the point is that everything is better in Brazil: the politics, the crime, the TV, and — above all else — the asses.