In testimony, he has denied any wrongdoing.
Da Silva Villar has been in jail since July 2022, one month after the two men were killed as they traveled by boat on the Itaquai River.
According to the federal police investigation, da Silva Villar financed an illegal fishing operation inside the Javari Valley Indigenous Territories, where thousands of Indigenous people live, including the world's largest concentration of uncontacted groups.
The murders were motivated by Pereira’s efforts to monitor and enforce environmental laws in the region, police said. “The victim was dedicated to protecting environmental conservation and upholding Indigenous rights,” the statement read. Phillips was accompanying Pereira as part of research for a book on the Amazon, which will be published posthumously.
Pereira had previously worked as an offical with Brazil's Indigenous bureau, but at the time of his death he was on leave and working as a consultant for the the local Indigenous association, known as Univaja.
Nine people were indicted over the course of the two-year investigation, including Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira and Jefferson da Silva Lima, who confessed to the killings but claimed self-defense. A court ruled that both will face trial by jury.
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