Transgender political candidate murdered in Alagoas

Paolla Paullyne Freitas Araújo de Alencar Vital, a 34-year-old transgender woman known as ‘Paolla do Cras’, was shot and killed on Thursday night in Santa Luzia do Norte, Alagoas. Vital had recently competed as a city council candidate for the MDB party in Coqueiro Seco during the 2024 elections, where she received 87 votes and served as a substitute.

Her body was discovered on Rua Tiradentes near the Escola Municipal Professora Iolanda Romeiro Lopes. According to the Civil Police of Alagoas (PCAL), the victim sustained at least two gunshot wounds.

Investigators are currently looking into reports suggesting the victim may have had links to local drug trafficking. The area where the body was found is reportedly a known site for narcotics sales influenced by a criminal faction. At this stage, authorities stated they have found no evidence indicating the murder was motivated by political reasons or transphobia.